Digital Dynasty
by TenakuMihara
Summary: Three years ago, the Children of Virtue saved the Digital World. Now; can they save their own? Sequel to Digital Demons Read that first. Epilogue now up.
1. Prologue: Without a Trace

Prologue: Without a Trace

**Authors Notes: **It's great to be back everyone. I would like to once again extend thanks to those who read through Digital Demons, and those who are now reading Digital Dynasty. If anyone is attempting to read this without having read Digital Demons first, I'd advise you to do so, since a lot of stuff here won't make sense otherwise. Enjoy.

* * *

The little girl, not quite a teenager, sat at the kitchen table across from her brother. Both she and her brother had green eyes and black hair. She was still in her pajamas, while he was dressed in a t-shirt and shorts. He was in a hurry, and finished his breakfast long before she did.

"What's got you in such a hurry big brother?" she asked.

"I thought I told you already," he replied. "It's my friend's birthday tomorrow and I have to get him a gift."

"How old is he gonna be?"

"This is his fifteenth birthday; he's a couple months younger than I am."

"Which friend is it? Do I know him?"

"He's a very important one. He was one of the people with me in the hospital the day you started to get better. I can understand if you don't remember though, it was three years ago."

"Was he the one wearing those silly goggles?"

"Yes actually. A bunch of our old friends are getting together for this. He even has a friend of ours visiting from America."

"Sounds like fun. Does that mean you're going to be out tomorrow as well?"

"Most likely; why?"

"Oh; no reason."

The boy eyed his sister warily, but shrugged it off and got up from the table. He tossed his dishes into the sink and walked to the front door. She quickly finished her breakfast as well, threw her dishes into the sink, and then joined him at the door. He had just finish putting on his shoes, and was about to leave.

"Have a nice trip," she said, waving him off.

"Just make sure you behave yourself while I'm gone," he replied. "Even though it's summer vacation, Mom and Dad still have to work. They won't be back until later."

"I know; I'll be good."

The boy still looked wary, but nonetheless he departed from the house, locking the door behind him. The girl waited a few minutes after he left before bounding up the stairs. She traveled down to the end of the hall, where his room was. It wasn't locked, so she was able to slip in easily. She shut the door behind her and walked over to the desk in the corner of his room. On this desk was a personal computer, which he used mostly for schoolwork.

Whenever her brother left the house, the girl would sneak into his room to play games on the computer. It was the middle of the day, so she threw open the curtains instead of turning on the ceiling light. She turned on the computer and waited for it to boot up. When it finished loading, she sat at the desk began to fiddle with it.

Although the girl usually left everything else in the room alone, she suddenly felt a strange compulsion to look into the desk drawer. She knew she shouldn't; since her brother might find out and get mad, but she couldn't help herself. When she opened the drawer, her eyes were drawn to a strange looking electronic device. It was rectangular in shape with rounded corners, and was about the size of a cellular phone. It had four buttons positioned below a small screen.

The girl, still under the same compulsion, picked the device up out of the drawer. The screen lit up at her touch, furthering her desire to fiddle. She closed the drawer and began to press the buttons, trying to figure out what the device did. All of a sudden, the light coming from the device's screen intensified. The computer screen crackled and went blank, seemingly interfered with by the device.

As she was exposed to the light, the girl felt something strange deep down inside her. She wasn't sure if it was the light that caused it, or if her body had started to act up on its own. The feeling began to spread outwards, causing the girl to feel sick. She clutched at her stomach and fell to her knees, the device still in her hands. She began to shudder violently, and her skin seemed to glow along with the light from the device.

Without warning a massive column of light erupted from the device, filling the room and engulfing the girl. When the light faded, the girl was gone. Everything else in the room was untouched, save for a rustling of the curtains. The computer reactivated, since the source of interference was gone. It would be hours before anyone returned to the house and discovered that the girl was gone.

**Additional Note: **Ooh, we're starting thing off with a mystery this time. Stay tuned for more.


	2. The Worst Birthday

Chapter 1: The Worst Birthday

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

BUZZ, came the sound of the alarm clock that was sitting on the nightstand. A hand rose up from under the sheets of the nearby bed and struck the clock, turning off the alarm. That same hand turned the face of the clock towards the bed, where the figure lying there saw that it was ten o'clock AM. The sheets were lazily pushed back to reveal a boy in his early teens. His most striking features were his bright red hair and his eyes of different colours.

The boy sat up and looked across his room to a calendar on the far wall. He smiled as he looked at today's date, which was labeled 'July 7th: Birthday Bash with Old Gang'. Today was the boy's fifteenth birthday and, considering that he was going to see all of his old friends again, he knew it was going to be a great one. His thoughts were interrupted when a loud knock came at his door.

The knock was followed by a woman's voice. "Daichi; are you up yet? I heard your alarm go off."

"Yeah I'm up," he replied. "How come you are though; I thought you liked to sleep in on Saturdays."

"I'm making you a special birthday breakfast. After that I'm going out to pick up a cake for your party this afternoon. Hurry up and get dressed, it'll be ready soon."

"Alright, alright."

Daichi hastily rummaged around his room for some clean clothes, although he would have had a much easier time finding dirty ones, since they lay all over the floor. He finally found a pair of socks that only had one hole in them, a plain t-shirt and a baggy pair of shorts. He threw them on and went out to get his 'special breakfast'. It was a great breakfast indeed, consisting of huge helpings of fried eggs, bacon and pancakes. He ogled the food briefly before he began to stuff his face.

Daichi's mother, who had the same red hair as him down to her waist, chuckled as she watched her son eat. "It's a wonder you're not a blimp, the way you eat."

Daichi grumbled under his breath, but didn't say anything. He finished his meal, after which his mother took the dishes to the sink. "Thanks for the food," he said politely.

"You're welcome dear. What time are your friends due to start coming?"

"Around noon, but they're coming in from different parts of Tokyo, so they might not all arrive right away."

"Alright then, I'll keep that in mind. Oh, and your father should be back this evening; he got called into a business meeting this morning."

"Gotcha, have a nice trip."

With that, Daichi's mother left the apartment, closing the door firmly behind her. Daichi went to the washroom to clean his hands and face, before returning to his room. Once he got there he lazily flicked on the television, before he started rummaging through his mess again. The TV had turned on to a news report, which seemed to be half over.

_"In other news; residents of various districts throughout Tokyo have been reporting complaints about widespread electrical problems. The first of these complaints came from the Odaiba prefecture yesterday afternoon. These problems have included but are not limited to: loss of internet and telephone connectivity, unexplained computer crashes and light flickering. Our sources at the cable and power companies have reported that these disturbances do not seem to be the result of any malfunctions on the part of their facilities. Instead, they propose that…"_

Daichi wasn't really paying attention to the news report, as he finally found what he was looking for. In the drawer of his nightstand there were two objects that he cherished more than anything else he owned. The first was a pair of goggles, which he almost never took off, since he considered them to be lucky. The second was a rectangular shaped electronic device with rounded corners. It had three buttons arrayed below a small view screen. He picked up the goggles and snapped them onto his head before grabbing the device. He turned it over in his hand and smiled.

_'I wonder if I'll get to see him again soon,' _he thought, before pocketing the device.

After that, he went back over to the TV and switched on a game console that was plugged into it. The console was slightly outdated, and he had been hoping to receive a new one as a birthday present. He played his games to pass the time, and almost didn't notice when the doorbell rang. He looked over to his clock and saw that it was just before noon.

He hurried to the front door of his apartment without bothering to shut off his game. He pulled open the door to reveal a striking young woman with long black hair. She wore a pair of large framed glasses and had a beret on her head. In her hands was clutched a bag, which presumably held a gift for Daichi.

The girl smiled at Daichi; "Hello Daichi; it's been a while hasn't it?"

"Nice to see you again too Kioko," he replied. "Do you know if any of the others were on their way yet?"

"Of course we are," came a voice that was gruffer than Kioko's, but still definitely belonging to a girl.

Looking past Kioko, Daichi saw two more people standing at his door. Aside from the fact that one was a girl and the other a boy, they had very similar appearances. They both had sandy brown hair, although his was kept short while hers was in a small ponytail. They both had green eyes, and were each carrying a gift parcel.

Kioko turned around, startled by the other girls voice, but smiled when she saw who it was. "Oh good, the Matsumoto twins are here too."

"Did you hear that Seiichi?" asked the girl. "They seem to have forgotten our names and have decided to address us collectively as 'the twins'."

Kioko looked flustered and bowed her head apologetically. "I'm so sorry Ayame; I didn't mean to offend you."

Ayame laughed heartily and flicked Kioko's beret off. "I know that, I was just messing with you. I though you had learned to lighten up by now."

Kioko chuckled weakly and retrieved her beret. After that the three of them were led into the apartment by Daichi. They placed their respective gifts on the table and then seated themselves around it. Daichi was the last to be seated.

"So, I take it no one else has arrived yet," stated Ayame.

"Nope, not yet," replied Daichi. "We're still waiting on Evan, Ren, Takeshi and Hanae."

Seiichi felt it necessary to question this; "Evan's coming? How's he pulling that off?"

"He told me he's visiting Japan for the summer, so I felt it appropriate to invite him over along with the rest of you."

"A reunion of the Children of Virtue; sounds great," said Ayame, smiling broadly.

"We haven't actually seen Evan at all in the past three years, have we," mused Kioko.

"Nope; this really will be a reunion of the old team."

The children were interrupted by another ring of the doorbell. They all went to get up, but Daichi motioned for the others to stay seated. He went to the door and opened it to reveal a girl younger than the other two, with long blonde hair and limpid blue eyes. She was wearing a plain, green sun dress. She smiled at him and presented a small gift bag. Daichi took the bag and smirked at the girl.

"Hello Daichi, and happy birthday," the girl chimed.

"Thanks Hanae," he replied. "I almost didn't recognize you; you've gotten taller."

Hanae grumbled in frustration; "That's mean Daichi, I was just overdue for a growth spurt and you know it."

From the kitchen table the other children chuckled warmly. Hanae put on a smile as well and went over to the table, seating herself with the others. Before Daichi could rejoin them, a call from the still open door caught his attention. When he turned back to the door, two highly contrasting figures met him.

The first was a boy in a cleanly pressed school uniform with short, tidy black hair. The second was a boy with flyaway blonde hair, wearing swimming trunks, a loose t-shirt and a pair of sandals. Daichi knew that the blonde boy in the bathing suit was Evan, but the other one seemed unfamiliar to him. Even so, he was also carrying a parcel.

"Hello Daichi," said the boy in the uniform. "I take it you don't recognize me."

"Sure didn't," he replied, "until you started talking anyways. That's a new look for you Ren; what's up?"

"Today was the official uniform fitting for St. Julianus Academy. I had to come directly here from there, so I didn't have time to change. I happened to run into Evan on the train."

"How come you're just getting fitted today? Didn't you start school already?"

"No; St. Julianus runs on a different schedule from the public schools. We have the same summer break period, but our term starts in August, which is second term for most public schools."

"It's still earlier than me," piped in Evan. "In America, the school terms start in September and runs through till June."

Daichi seemed exasperated upon hearing this; "What; you guys get two months of summer break?! That's not fair."

"Are you gonna invite us in or not," chided Evan.

Daichi allowed the two of them to enter the apartment before closing the door behind them. At that point all of them were seated and looking eager. Daichi walked over and seated himself at the head of the table, opposite the collection of gift bags and parcels that the others had brought.

Ayame spoke up first; "So Daichi, which one are you gonna open first?"

"I'm not going to open any of them just yet," he replied. "I'm waiting for everyone to get here."

"If I'm not mistaken, Takeshi is the only one missing right?" asked Evan.

"Yup; once he arrives, all of the Children of Virtue will be together again. My mom's gonna be back with a cake at some point, and my dad will be back after his business meeting lets out."

"Sounds great; I haven't seen you guys in so long. It'll be great to have everyone together again."

"Well, while we're waiting let's do a little catching up?" suggested Hanae.

"Sure thing;" replied Ayame. "Lets start with the birthday boy first; how's school going Daichi?"

Daichi grimaced at the though. "High school is a lot tougher than I thought it would be. The class schedules are so different and the work is a lot harder."

"Don't worry," piped in Seiichi, "you'll get used to it. Ayame and I did before the end of second term in our first year."

"I'm sure you had no trouble with it, eh Kioko?" added Ayame.

Kioko looked slightly embarrassed; "Well, yes, but that was back in my first year. Twelfth grade is turning out to be a fair bit more difficult."

Daichi grumbled, displeased to be reminded that Kioko, despite being the same age as him, was two years ahead of him academically. He then thought of something amusing; "You're going to be busy with college entrance preparations soon right?"

Kioko looked embarrassed once again; "Yes, but not until second term starts. What about you Hanae, you're in middle school now right?"

"You know," she replied a little harshly, "just because I'm two and three years younger than the rest of you doesn't mean I'm a little kid. I am thirteen now you know."

The other children let out pleasant laughter, into which Hanae eventually joined. Evan was the next to be questioned; "So, how's your surfing career?"

"It's not really a career, it's just something I really enjoy," he replied. "As for how it's going, it got a lot tougher when I moved up to the senior competition brackets. I've been holding my own, but there are some guys out there way better than me."

"Fortunately there's something you can always hold above their heads."

"What's that?"

"None of them have ever been to the bottom of the ocean before."

"Actually one of them has; his father was a deep sea marine biologist."

The children began to laugh again, even though Evan had been quite serious. They continued their conversation for some time, but as they did something became apparent. It was almost three o'clock and Takeshi still hadn't shown up. Daichi knew that he lived across town, and that he would have to take a train to get here, but he wasn't expecting him to be this late. There was an awkward silence as all of the other children noticed his continuing absence at the same time. They looked to each other; puzzled.

"You said Takeshi was coming today right?"

"I wonder what could be keeping him. You did tell him the right time, right?"

"I'll try calling him," said Daichi, pulling out a cell phone. He let it ring for a while but there was no reply. "That's weird; no answer."

"Maybe he's in one of the areas affected by the electrical problems," suggested Kioko. The other children seemed to know what she was talking about, but Daichi looked confused. She looked at him skeptically; "How do you not know about this?" It's all over the news."

"Well I don't really watch the news," he admitted.

"Even so, something must be up if Takeshi's hasn't shown up after this long."

"Maybe we should go check on him in person. If he's sick or something than he'll feel bad for having missed your birthday."

"Sounds like a plan, I'm in."

The rest of the children nodded their agreement and stood up from the table. They all clamored out of the apartment at once, nearly flattening Daichi's mother. She was carrying a box with a cake in one arm, and a parcel in the other.

"Where are you all rushing off to?" she asked.

"We're heading over to Takeshi's place," replied Daichi. "He didn't show so we think he's sick or something."

"Did you call him?"

"It seems he's in one of the areas where the phone service is down."

"Oh I see. Well then, just be careful. Once you find out what's going on, call and let me know. If you're coming back here I'll prepare dinner for all of you."

The children responded in unison before departing from the apartment. It took them about fifteen minutes to get to the nearest train station. They boarded the westbound line and rode it for about half an hour before arriving in Odaiba, the prefecture Takeshi lived in. Daichi had been to Takeshi's house a few times before, so he knew the way. However; what they found when they got there was highly discouraging.

There was a police car on the street, and the section of road immediately in front of Takeshi's house was blocked off. At the entrance to his house, there was a pair of police officers speaking with two other adults. Daichi knew them to be Takeshi's parents. His mother's face was stained red from crying, and his father bore a grave look. The children walked up to the house cautiously, unsure of what to expect. The police tried to shoo them, but stopped when Takeshi's mother welcomed them.

"You're Takeshi's friend aren't you?" she began. "The ones he was supposed to get together with for that birthday party, right?"

"Um, yeah that's us," replied Daichi. "We kind of got worried when he didn't show and we couldn't reach him by phone."

"Oh, our phones have been down since yesterday." In between words, she continuously sniffled. "I'm glad you're here, Takeshi could probably use your company. He'll be in his room."

Mrs. Umeko stepped aside and allowed them to enter the house. The children almost tripped over each other trying to get inside, very worried about Takeshi. Before they went upstairs, they reordered themselves so as not to cause a ruckus. They ascended the stairs one at a time, led by Daichi, and walked down to the end of the hall. Once there, Daichi knocked softly on the door. They heard soft footsteps inside before the door clicked open.

Takeshi looked out in surprise at the sudden arrival of his friends. He was aware that between his disheveled hair and his tear stained face, that he looked like a real mess.

"Daichi, everyone what are you…" he began, before spontaneously remembering what day it was. "That's right it was your birthday today. Sorry I missed it."

"Forget that," exclaimed Daichi, "you're a mess and there are police outside. What the hell happened?"

"Well," stammered Takeshi, tears welling up again in his eyes. "It's just that… Chie has been missing since yesterday."

**Authors Notes: **This chapter was mainly intended as an introduction to the cast now that they've aged three years. This chapter and the next one will be laying the ground work for the story before it really gets going. Don't worry though; there will be lots of action, and a few twists to keep things interesting. Stay tuned.


	3. Midnight Correspondence

Chapter 2: Midnight Correspondence

The other children stared blankly at Takeshi for a few moments, dumbfounded by what he had said. He took that opportunity to sit on the bed and bury his face in his hands. Chie was Takeshi's younger sister, and was a year younger than Hanae. Three years prior, when their group of friends had just met up, Chie had been suffering from a potentially terminal genetic disorder. She had managed to recover, with a little outside help, but was still cared for deeply by everyone in the group. When what he said finally sank in, Daichi was the first to speak up.

"WHAT!? How did she go missing? Was it a kidnapping?!"

Ayame kicked Daichi in the shins. "Shut up you dolt; the last thing he needs is for you to make crazy assumptions like that."

"Chie's a clever girl though; I doubt she would just wander off on her own," added Hanae.

Takeshi began to speak again, although there were still tears in his eyes. "It was yesterday afternoon. Mom and dad were at work and I had left the house to pick up a birthday present."

Daichi couldn't help but feel a little guilty at those words. He said nothing and allowed Takeshi to continue talking.

"We think she was in my room at the time, since my computer was on. She always sneaks in here when I'm away to play games on it. I really don't mind, I just wish she'd ask first."

"Did someone break into your room?"

"This is the weird thing; it even has the police baffled. According to them, the front door was still locked and there were no signs of forced entry. For those same reasons I'm really worried about what could have happened to her."

Daichi stepped forward and placed a hand on Takeshi's shoulder. "We'll all help you out, right everyone?"

The other children nodded and stated their agreement with Daichi.

Takeshi looked up at them; "Are you sure about that? This isn't really your problem."

Ren was the first to voice his disagreement. "Of course it is, especially if it's something as severe as this."

"Ren's right," cut in Seiichi. "If one member of a group is suffering, the others suffer with him. We'll do everything in our power to help."

A small smile crossed Takeshi's lips. "Thanks you guys; it really means a lot to know I can count on your help."

Daichi smirked; "Don't worry about it. Just one thing; how are we gonna get a hold of you if we find out anything? The phones are down in this area aren't they?"

"Only the land lines; which reminds me." Takeshi grabbed a loose sheet of paper and scribbled a few things down on it, before distributing the pieces to the other children. "I got a cell phone recently; that's the number for it."

Upon receiving the scraps of paper, each of the children pulled out their own cellular phones and recorded the number.

"The next thing we need to do is search around town for her."

"Where exactly do you think we should look?" pondered Kioko.

"I think I can help with that," stated Takeshi. "I know some of the places where Chie liked to frequent, and I might be able to get in touch with some of her friends."

"Sounds good; what say we meet up tomorrow and search the town?"

Takeshi and the other children nodded their agreement. Hanae walked over to the bed and hugged him, bringing a small smile to his face.

"Don't you worry," she said, gripping him tightly, "we'll all help find Chie."

"Thank you Hanae; the rest of you as well."

"Don't mention it, that's what friends are for."

The children arranged to meet in the park at nine thirty the following morning. Takeshi looked as though he hadn't slept since the day before, so the other children left to allow him some rest. They greeted his parents again before leaving the house, gathering together on the street. The police had left at this time, and the blockades had been removed. Although they had all tried to be cheerful in front of Takeshi, the other children felt the weight of the situation descend upon them.

"Takeshi looked really upset; do you think he'll be okay?" inquired Hanae.

Ayame ruffled her hair in frustration; "I don't know, he was always really close to his sister. If something has happened to her I don't know if he'll be able to recover."

Daichi took this opportunity to kick Ayame back. "We can't think like that; we ARE going to find Chie. Even if we can't, someone else will. Thankfully the police are looking into this as well."

"If we are going to go looking tomorrow, we should probably head home for now."

The children returned to the train station, and boarded the train to take them home.

* * *

When Daichi arrived back at his family's apartment, it was coming up on seven o'clock. His father and mother were waiting for him inside, a cake and two addition presents joining the others on the table. Daichi didn't take any interest in them, and his parents could sense that he was preoccupied.

"Where did all your friends go?" asked his mother.

"They all went back home, we weren't really in the mood to continue the party."

"Why, what happened? Is something wrong with Takeshi?"

"It's not Takeshi himself, but something really bad did happen. His sister has gone missing."

Daichi's parents seemed horrified at this news. They had become friends with Takeshi's parents through Daichi, and were somewhat fond of him and Chie. The two of them got up from the table and approached Daichi, intending to comfort him if he needed it.

"Have they contacted the police yet?" asked Daichi's father.

"Yeah; they were there interviewing his parents when we got there. It doesn't seem to be a kidnapping though, since the police said there was no forced entry."

"That's good, but do they have any idea where she went?"

"No, but Takeshi is looking into her hangouts and checking with her friends. The other kids and I are going out tomorrow to help look."

"Well that's good of you son. Your mother and I will help out if we can."

"Thanks; I imagine everyone else's parents are going to help out too. Evan might be an exception, since his parents aren't from here, but he'll be with us anyways."

"Are you hungry Daichi? I was waiting for you to come home before I made dinner."

"Nah, I'm not really hungry right now. You guys can go ahead and eat if you want to though. As for the cake and presents, I'm not really in the mood. Do you think we can put that off until we've found Chie?"

"Of course; your friends are more important than any cake or presents. We'll just hold onto them for you until this is over."

With that Daichi's mother blew out the cake and proceeded to store it in the refrigerator. His father gathered up the presents and began taking them into their room. Daichi returned to his room and closed the door behind him. He noticed, since the lights were off, that he had left his video game on. He was briefly tempted to play it, but decided he wasn't in the mood. He turned it off and lay down in his bed, staring at the ceiling.

Various thoughts ran through Daichi's mind, thinking about how the day had started off so well. He had been looking forward to seeing all of his old friends again, but then something like this had happened. He began to wonder what might have happened to Chie, and where she might have gone. His mind occasionally wanted to ponder what would happen if they couldn't find her, but he shook those thoughts away.

Daichi wasn't sure how much time he had spent staring at the ceiling and thinking, but he was brought back to reality by a strange beeping sound. He sat up in bed, thinking at first it was his cell phone. However, his phone was still in his pocket, and wasn't vibrating. The beeping came again, allowing him to realize that it was coming from the direction of his nightstand.

Daichi's first instinct was to smack his alarm clock, but realized that wasn't the case, as him alarm would have still been set for ten AM. He slowly pulled open the drawer on his nightstand, and was met with a bright flash of light. Looking into the drawer he saw that the light was coming from the screen of the device that had been next to his goggles. It was this device that was emitting the beeping noise, as strange characters blinked in the middle of its screen.

Daichi picked up the device and turned it over in his hand. It wasn't vibrating; just flashing and beeping. He tried pressing the buttons, but the message remained unchanged. Before Daichi had the chance to inspect it, his phone actually did go off. He pulled it out, saw Ren's number, and immediately answered.

"Hello, this is Daichi."

"Daichi, its Ren. Is your Digivice getting a signal right now?"

"Yours too? I was wondering if I would be the only one."

"No, mine started going off a couple minutes ago. If yours is too, then it's probably for the same reason."

"What do you think it is?"

"I have no idea, but I just wanted to check with everyone else. They might already be trying to call us, or each other."

"You go ahead and call everyone else, I'm going to try and reach Kioko. As I recall, she knew how to read Digiscript."

"Good idea, I'll call the twins and Hanae. You can call Evan and Takeshi after you check with Kioko."

"Right, cya." Daichi hung up his phone and immediately dialed Kioko's number. He was met with a weary voice.

"Hello Daichi, I assume you're calling about the Digivices?"

"Yeah, I take it you got the message too."

"Sure did; it woke me up a couple minutes ago. If you want to know what it says, give me a minute, I have to see if I can remember any of this."

Daichi remained silent and waited for Kioko to respond again. He heard some rustling of papers and mumbling before she spoke again.

"Okay, I'm a little unsure about the specifics, but it's definitely a call for help. I have no idea who it's from though."

"Okay thanks, Ren and I were in the process of calling everyone else to see if we had all gotten the message."

"Alright then, I'm gonna try and get a better translation for you guys. I'll call out to whoever's available if I get something."

"Sure thing, later."

Once more Daichi hung up his phone and immediately redialed, this time calling Evan.

"I was wondering when you guys would start calling me," came Evan's voice through the phone.

"I take it that means you have your Digivice with you."

"I never go anywhere with out it; just in case."

"Good to hear. I just got off the phone with Kioko and she says it's some sort of call for help. She's trying to figure out who it's from."

"Since when does that matter? If someone needs our help then we should do what we can to help them. That's especially true if it involves the Digital World, considering that it might be our partners who need the help."

"Good point, I'll make sure everyone else is aware of that. Sorry to cut you off, but I still need to check in with Takeshi. Since his partner is gone, I'm not sure if he'd get the message or not. Even if he did, he might not notice, since he's distracted by Chie's disappearance."

"Alright then; call me back if there are any more developments."

"Will do."

Takeshi took longer to respond than any of the others. "Hi Daichi; did you find out something about Chie already?"

"Sorry to say but this isn't about that. The rest of us have all just received a call for help from the Digital World, and we were wondering if you had gotten the message as well."

"How did you get a call from the Digital World?"

"It came in through our Digivices; there was a message flashing on the screen. Kioko translated it and we've been calling around to everyone."

"Um, I guess I can check. Although; without my partner, I don't know why I'd get called."

Daichi waited patiently for a response from Takeshi, listening intently to the other side. He heard a slow shuffling of feet followed by the sound of some rummaging. The rummaging ceased abruptly and was followed by hurried footsteps.

"It's gone!"

"Wait; what's gone?"

"My Digivice; I kept it in the drawer of my computer desk, but it's gone now."

"When was the last time you saw it?"

"About two days…" Takeshi trailed off.

Daichi had come to a similar realization. "You don't think Chie found it did you? Maybe the call for help is from her."

Takeshi's voice now carried a mix of excitement and fear. "If that is the case, then she's probably trapped and alone in the Digital World."

"Don't worry; if she is calling for us then it means she's still doing okay. Even if it's not her, we have a clue to her disappearance now."

"Actually, this is starting to make sense. The computer being left on; the lack of forced entry; the missing Digivice; they all seem to point to the Digital World. If that is true, then there's still hope."

"Now you're talking. I'll get a hold of everyone else and let them know about this."

"Thanks for calling me Daichi; I might never have realized this if you hadn't done so."

"No need to thank me, Chie is our friend. The others will probably be pleased to hear about this as well."

"Alright then, you go ahead and call them. I think that I'm in serious need of sleep right now."

"Sure thing; good night Takeshi."

Daichi waited for Takeshi to hang up before terminating the call. He called Ren first to inform him of what he and Takeshi had theorized. The two of them made another round of calls to their other friends to fill them in on the situation as well. The others were all surprised to hear about the missing Digivice, and seemed to be in favour of the thought that it was Chie calling for help. Kioko had unfortunately been unable to verify who had sent the message.

The children stuck to their plan to meet in the park the following morning; although this time they had the Digital World as their intended Destination. Once everyone was filled in on the slight change of plans, they all agreed to get some sleep. Daichi was the last to hang up, before immediately falling face down onto his bed.

* * *

The sun was well on its way up when the children gathered in the park that morning. Daichi noticed that everyone, aside from Ren, was still wearing the same clothes they had been the day before. It wasn't surprising, considering he had been in a stuffy school uniform. Takeshi was the last one to show up, bags under his eyes indicating that he hadn't managed to get much sleep.

"Alright, so everyone is now accounted for," announced Daichi.

Ayame addressed him with a bit of skepticism. "Be that as it may, did you have a plan for anything after gathering us together?"

"Well, when we went to the Digital World the first time, Holyangemon took us there using the Digivices. Maybe we can use them again."

The other children showed a small amount of surprise at Daichi's words. Apparently they hadn't been expecting him to have a reasonable idea of what he was talking about. They nodded to each other and held out their Digivices together. The flashing of the screens immediately synchronized when they were held out together. On the ground in front of the children a large circular seal appeared. All of the children save Takeshi recognized this seal, and immediately knew who it was calling for them.

However; when two beings materialized within the seal, they were not who the children were expecting. The first figure was about as tall as an adult, wearing a dark brown robe that covered his entire body. He had a sand coloured sash around his shoulders, attached to which was a hood that hid everything except his eyes. The second figure was almost identical to him; save that his robe was white and the sash attached to it was light blue in colour.

"Greetings Children of Virtue," called the first figure.

"We are glad you came to answer our call," added the second.

Daichi stepped forward and addressed the two of them. "Um, have we met before? You guys seem kind of familiar, but I'm pretty sure we've never seen you before."

"I suppose you wouldn't recognize us, after all it has been quite some time."

"I am called Wisemon," said the first figure. "However, when we first met I was still Wizardmon. Of course you know my brother Sorcerymon, although he is now Magimon."

The children were struck with a sudden remembrance of their old allies at the mention of their names. Takeshi however, had never met the two of them before. Likewise, they had never met him before, and did not know who he was.

"Ah, I guess you don't know these guys, do you Takeshi?"

"I'm afraid not, but they seem to be friends of yours."

"Well, Wizardmon and Sorcerymon were our allies the first time we went to the Digital World. We probably would have been dead several times over without them." Daichi then turned to the two wizards. "This is Takeshi; he was the kid that Fellangemon used to break the barrier on the Dark Area. He helped in the final battle against Necronimon as well."

"Well met then, Takeshi. Now, I'm sure you're all wondering why Wisemon and I called you here."

"The truth is that the Digital World once again faces a crisis. We have reason to believe that you are the only ones who can help."

**Author's Notes: **Now we're getting somewhere, but where exactly are we getting? Find out next time, when the new threat is revealed. For the record; Wisemon and Magimon are both Ultimate Level Digimon. Wisemon is Canon, but Magimon is original. I made him a twin to Wisemon in the same way that Sorcerymon was a twin to Wizardmon, in order to keep up with the fact that they were brothers.


	4. Old Friends and New Threats

Chapter 3: Old Friends and New Threats

Wisemon's voice bore no hint of exaggeration; he was dead serious. He and Magimon had sent out the signal to the children's Digivices in order to get them to gather together again. However; their reason for needing help was not apparent in the least to the children. When they had first gone to the Digital World three years prior, they had defeated the Demon Lords; the most powerful evil Digimon to ever exist. With them gone, the children couldn't think of anyone who might be threatening the safety of the Digital World.

Seiichi was the one to ask what all of the children were thinking. "What sort of crisis is the Digital World facing? We thought that with the Demon Lords gone, your world would become peaceful."

"For a great time after the Demon Lords defeat, the Digital World was peaceful," replied Wisemon. "There was the occasional conflict, but nothing as terrible as what the Demon Lords brought about."

"However; eight years ago by our time, a new power appeared," continued Magimon. "This power was unlike anything we had ever encountered before. It took the form of a Digimon; one that had never been seen before in the history of the Digital World. This Digimon eventually became known as Queenmon."

"At first it seemed as though she was simply an anomalous Digimon, since her data could not be recognized as belonging to any of the major groups. She traveled through the Digital World, seemingly harmless and merely curious about the world around her."

"Then, for reasons we are not fully aware of, she decided to conquer the Digital World. Unfortunately she was able to accomplish this, and single handedly at that."

"Didn't anyone try to stop her?" asked Daichi.

"There was no one who was capable of doing so. It was not by force that she conquered the Digital World; it was laid before her without a hint of struggle."

"Queenmon carries with her a mystical presence; other Digimon are completely overtaken by it. Once influenced by it, Digimon are utterly incapable of disobeying her, even though they still seem to possess free will. To them what she says is law, and they will follow any order she gives without hesitation."

"Are there any Digimon that aren't being controlled by her?" inquired Kioko.

"There are some Digimon who seem immune to her control; but they are virtually non-existent."

"So why have you called for help from us then?"

"We have called upon you, the Children of Virtue, because you are the only ones who may be able to stop Queenmon. As we said, the Digimon immune to Queenmon's control are very few in number. Aside from my brother and I, the only Digimon who seem to be immune…are your partners."

At the mention of 'partners', the children's faces lit up. When they had gone to the Digital World for the first time, each of the children had been assigned a Digimon as a partner. These partners had been their companions and protectors as they traveled through the Digital World, and had become irreplaceable friends. They were quite pleased to hear that their partners were doing well. Takeshi was not quite as excited as the other children, as he no longer had a partner. Instead, he chose this time to inquire about his sister.

"Pardon me for interrupting, but have either of you heard anything about another human coming to the Digital World?"

Magimon looked to Wisemon briefly, and then shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Why do you ask though?"

"Well; my sister disappeared a couple days ago. Yesterday I discovered that my Digivice was gone as well, and we believe she may have accidentally been pulled into the Digital World."

Wisemon pondered the though briefly before responding. "As I said, I have heard nothing about a human. However; that doesn't mean she isn't there. The Digivice you possessed is different from the others, is it not?"

"Um yeah, but why does that matter?"

"That Digivice was the original; created by Shakkoumon. As such, it has a greater connection to the Digital World, and perhaps even a will of its own. It is possible that this Digivice sensed the turmoil in our world and called out to your sister, seeking someone who might be able to help save our world."

"Is there any way to bring her back to this world?"

"Not unless we find her first. However; I wouldn't worry too much. If your sister was indeed called to the Digital World, then she has likely found or been given a partner. That being the case, she should be doing well."

For the first time in the past two days, a look of relief came over Takeshi's face. Wisemon's words had done much to reassure him. Daichi gave him a pat on the back and a smirk.

"It looks like everything is going to be alright." He then turned to the two wizards. "If the Digital World is in trouble, then we'd best get going."

The other children voiced their agreement and gathered closer to the wizards. They nodded to the children and stepped a short distance away from them. They held out their hands, which became wrapped in magical light. This same light appeared on the ground, forming another large magic seal. The children and the two wizards stepped on to the seal, and were enveloped by a column of light. When the column faded, they had all disappeared.

* * *

When the children felt solid ground beneath their feet once more, they were no longer in central park. Instead, they were in the midst of a forest, surrounded by massive trees. The trees were varied in nature, and did not all seem to come from the same climate regions. Such was the way of the Digital World; things here didn't work the same way as they did in the Human World.

Wisemon and Magimon took a few moments to get their bearings, before leading the children through the forest. They had to rely on the two wizards, as they were much more accustomed to traveling in this world. Eventually the children were led to a break in the tree line, which opened into a wide clearing. In the middle of this clearing was a moderately sized lake.

The children had been to this lake before, and Evan was the first to remember it. He had vivid memories of this lake, as it was the first place that his partner, Betamon, had evolved to fight off a feral Digimon. He had also suffered a grievous injury, which in turn had led them to their first encounter with Wizardmon. Hanae remembered this as well, since it was her partner, Labramon, who had saved him from a servant of the Demon Lords. The children all felt it hard to believe they hadn't seen this place in three years, considering how vivid their memories were.

Daichi walked up to the two wizards to ask them a question that was on everyone's minds. "You said that our partners were unaffected by Queenmon right? Do you know where they are right now?"

"Yes," he replied, "they should be somewhere close by. After Queenmon's takeover, they had gone into hiding. Once we managed to get a hold of you, we gathered them together again."

"Oi!" called a voice from nearby.

Looking to the source of the voice, Daichi saw another Digimon approaching the group. This Digimon was a small, teal coloured dragon with a white underbelly. He had three sharp claws on each hand and foot, and a mouth full of sharp fangs. He had red horns and small, orange wings on his back. Daichi immediately recognized this Digimon as Dracomon; his partner.

"Dracomon," he called excitedly, running over to his partner.

"Daichi!" called the dragon upon seeing his partner. The two shared a brief hug and gave each other a pat on the back. "It's great to see you again, I really missed you."

"I missed you too buddy."

Dracomon took a moment to look Daichi over. "You're taller than when I last saw you."

"No offence, but you're shorter than the last time I saw you."

Dracomon grunted in irritation, but then the two of them burst out laughing. When they finished laughing, they looked around to the other children. The other partner Digimon had arrived, and were being greeted warmly by the children. Wisemon and Magimon stood aside, allowing the children and Digimon to get reacquainted.

Ren was conversing with a three foot tall dinosaur, whose skin looked like pixilated green camouflage. His name was Commandramon, and he was decorated in militaristic body armour. There was also a rocket launcher strapped to his back. He seemed very interested in hearing about Ren's desire to study medicine.

Ayame and Seiichi were sharing details of their sparring matches with their respective partners; Lunamon and Coronamon. Lunamon was shaped like a plush bunny rabbit. She had light pink fur with a few patches of purple mixed in. She also had a small yellow patch on her forehead in the shape of a crescent. Coronamon's features were feline, but he walked upright. He had fiery red fur cumulating at his tail, which was actually on fire. He had an amulet mounted on each wrist with another in his forehead. He was attempting to convince the twins to have a match right in front of them while Lunamon protested.

Hanae was currently patting Labramon on the head and smiling contently. She had always liked animals, but the apartment she and her mother lived in didn't allow pets. Labramon himself was enjoying the attention, pleased to see that Hanae was happy. He was a small dog with soft, white fur. The fur on his ears and tail was a pale red colour, as was a small patch on his face.

Kioko was taking the meeting with her partner, Elecmon, as an opportunity to let off some steam. She listed off all of her complaints about the high school setting, as well as the fact that most of her classmates put no seriousness into their studies. Elecmon had rabbit like features, but her tail looked more like that of a bird. She had purple fur with a few red streaks running through it. Although she didn't quite understand everything Kioko was complaining about, she was willing to be sympathetic.

Evan had traveled down to the shallows of the lake, where Betamon was taking a dip. He was an amphibian creature with claws in place of hands and feet. He also had a tall, orange coloured fin running down his back. Evan was dipping his feet into the water, around which Betamon splashed playfully.

Takeshi looked forlornly at the other children, who were happily reacquainting themselves with their partners. His partner had died in the aftermath of the final battle with the Demon Lords, after which he had given his data to Takeshi in order to help heal Chie. Although he had not spent as much time with his partner as the other children, he still owed him a great deal, and missed him.

Daichi noticed Takeshi's glumness and walked over to him with Dracomon, patting him on the back. "What's wrong Takeshi?"

"I'm worried, that's all. Seeing your partners made me wonder about Chie. If she did come here, how can we be sure she has a partner to protect her? After all, I don't."

"You had Dracmon, remember? He was your partner."

"Yes, but he's gone now. Being without a partner makes me wonder why I came here; since I won't be of any help to you guys. Plus, the fact that I don't have a partner means that Chie might not either."

Daichi was about to make an attempt to cheer Takeshi up, when something caught the attention of both of them. Several small streams of sparkling particles had gathered near them. They both knew that these particles were bits of data, the basic material that Digimon were composed of. However, they were somewhat confused, as these streams of data usually only appeared when a Digimon died and its body decompiled.

The streams of data gathered near Takeshi, and began to form together. They eventually built up to the size of a soccer ball, but the object was shaped like an egg. It was a Digiegg; the object from which new Digimon were born. This egg was mostly purple in colour, but bore a few brown spots. Once it was completely formed, the egg drifted down softly into Takeshi's arms.

The other children, who had been watching the scene unfold, ran up to Takeshi to congratulate him.

Daichi clapped him hard on the back; "Why were you worried exactly? You don't even have your Digivice with you, but you got a new partner. There's no way that Chie could have come here and not gotten one as well."

Takeshi stared at the Digiegg intently; "A new partner…"

Dracomon tapped the egg's shell softly with a claw. "I wonder what Digimon will be born from it."

"We'll just have to wait and see."

"Speaking of waiting," cut in Seiichi, "I'm curious as to what you guys have been doing while we've been away."

Dracomon was the one to answer his question. "Well; after you guys left, we took to protecting the Digital World on our own. Fortunately, we had lots of friends willing to help; otherwise it would have been a lot more difficult than it was."

Commandramon continued the story; "Things went pretty well for a long time, but that all changed when Queenmon showed up. I'm sure Wisemon and Magimon have told you about her already."

The children nodded and continued to listen, as Betamon picked up. "At first, Queenmon didn't seem all that bad. We first noticed something was up when Queenmon traveled through the area we had been protecting at the time. All the other Digimon seemed to be at her beck and call, and began to give us strange looks when we hesitated to do what she asked."

"When Queenmon started a deliberate takeover, we found that none of our friends were willing to oppose her. They all seemed pleased at the idea of her ruling the Digital World, and we didn't understand."

"However; we didn't want to end up fighting against our friends, let alone the entire Digital World, in an attempt to stop her. Instead we decided to lay low until such time as we could bring you guys back here to help."

"It was in this action that we found out they were also not being controlled by Queenmon," stated Wisemon, as he and Magimon rejoined the group.

"We were quite relieved to discover this, and were more than willing to help on both fronts. We hid the sacred weapons, and reverted them to their rookie forms. That way, they would be able to attract as little attention as possible while we attempted to contact you."

"Now that you're here, we can finally do something about Queenmon."

"Got that right," exclaimed Daichi.

"Don't be so hasty," cut in Seiichi. "We don't know how strong Queenmon is, or anything else about her really. We need to find out what we're up against in order to deal with it properly."

"How do you propose we do that?"

Before Seiichi could respond, the group's attention was caught by a rustling in the nearby bushes. The children and their Digimon looked towards the source in unison, and were met with yet another Digimon. This Digimon was around the same height as the children, but her features were those of a fox. She had bright yellow fur with a few patches of white. She also had purple sleeves over her arms, each of which was marked with a yin-yang symbol.

Daichi pulled out his Digivice and pointed it at the newcomer. He pressed the center button, which caused an image of her to appear on the screen. She was listed as 'Renamon', a 'Rookie' level, 'Data' type Digimon, with 'Diamond Storm' as her special attack. The children eyed her warily, and she did the same to them. She approached them slowly, and did not seem to be making any hostile moves. The Digimon tensed up, just in case she became aggressive.

"Are you the ones responsible for the great pillar of light that appeared in the forest a short while ago?"

"What if we are?" responded Daichi.

Renamon seemed somewhat taken aback. "I meant no offence, I was just curious. I was patrolling this part of the forest when the light appeared and I felt compelled to investigate. However; another thing now has seized my curiosities."

"What would that be?" asked Dracomon.

"I have never seen beings like you before in the Digital World, but you resemble something I have seen in books and stories. Are you perhaps human beings?"

"Um, yeah we are." Daichi then turned to Ayame and nudged her; "Looks like it finally caught on that we aren't mythical creatures."

Ayame chuckled and then addressed Renamon. "Have we placated your curiosity now?"

"Alas no; you still seem more familiar to me than a chance meeting would normally dictate." She paused for a moment, before a look of sudden realization came over her face. "Are you… perhaps… the Children of Virtue?"

"I take it you've heard of us."

"That is truly an understatement! The stories of your conquest of the Demon Lords have become a thing of legends. There are few in this world who do not know of you."

"Finally; some recognition," muttered Dracomon. Daichi snickered, but Hanae shushed them.

"Of course; I could not leave out your noble partners," said Renamon, giving a nod to each of the Digimon in turn. "This is indeed a wonderful turn of events. You must come with me; she will be thrilled to meet you."

"Who will?"

"Her Majesty Queenmon of course."

**Author's Notes:** When I first came up with the concept for this villain, I chose Queenmon originally as a standby name until I could think of something else. However, as I used it more it kind of stuck, and she's been Queenmon ever since.


	5. Meeting the Queen

Chapter 4: Meeting the Queen

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Digimon. Probably never will. _Probably_

The children stood silently for a few moments, contemplating what Renamon had said. They had been told by several of their trusted friends that Queenmon was the enemy, and yet they had just been openly invited to meet her. Naturally, the children were skeptical and suspected a trap. However; Renamon did not show the slightest sign of hostility towards them, nor did she seem overly insistent that they accompany her. Daichi attempted to step forward first, but was stopped by Seiichi.

"Did your lady Queenmon directly request an audience with us?" he asked.

Renamon's reply continued to show no signs of hostility or deceit. "She did not; as she does not yet know you are here. I simply chose to extend an invitation to you on her behalf."

"Why would she be so interested in meeting us?"

"She enjoys the stories of your heroism more than anyone else in the Digital World. If she had the opportunity to meet you, she would be beyond thrilled."

"Where would we be going to meet her?"

"At the Crystal Palace, here in the forest. If you don't mind my asking; how do you not know these things? I would have thought that you would have more knowledge of the Digital World."

"I'm afraid that being in the Human World limits our access to information about the Digital World. We would have received the information from our partners eventually; you just happened to deliver it to us before them."

"So I see; my apologies then for accusing you of ignorance. The question remains though; will you accept my invitation?"

"One moment; I can't speak for my friends by myself."

Seiichi, the other children and their Digimon huddled together. Wisemon and Magimon once again stayed off to the side, allowing the children to make their own decision.

"Why did you hog all the conversation with her?" demanded Daichi.

"I did that because I figured it would be best if someone with a little civility were to talk to her."

"My brother is right; you probably would have pissed her off or something. Then we would have had the entire Digital World on our case."

"Nice to know you guys think of me so highly."

"Anyways," cut in Ren, "shall we accept her offer?"

"I'm not sure," said Kioko. "This seems a little too easy. It could be a trap or something."

"Perhaps, but it would allow us to get to know our new foe without having to fight her first. We may even be able to reach a peaceful solution."

"I think we should accept as well," added Takeshi. "If she does run the Digital World by herself, then she might know something about Chie. Renamon found us rather quickly, so maybe someone else working for her found Chie."

"Well; I'm in then."

The other children consented to accept the invitation as well, and were supported by their Digimon partners. They broke away from their huddle and told Renamon their decision. She was quite excited, and gestured for the children to follow her. The Digimon went first, followed by the children. Wisemon and Magimon brought up the rear silently.

As Renamon led the group through the forest, the children were reminded of just how vast it was. The Forest Area was the single largest continental area of the Digital World, with only the Ocean Area surpassing it in size. The journey was made mostly in silence, as the children and their partners' minds were occupied with their own curiosities. However; when they reached the Crystal Palace, the children couldn't help but look upon it in awe.

The palace sat atop a raised mound, and was made entirely out of crystal that mixed together all the colours of the rainbow. It was also very elaborate, consisting of numerous tall spires, wide passages and massive rooms. Renamon led the group around to a large staircase that ascended the mound. At the top of the stairs was a massive set of doors, made of the same crystal as the rest of the palace.

Standing in front of the great set of doors was a pair of Digimon; apparently acting as guards. They were both broadly built humanoids clad in pristine silver armour. They were each holding a large sword out in front of them, point stuck into the ground. Ren pulled out his Digivice and scanned the Digimon, revealing them to be 'Knightmon', 'Ultimate' and 'Data' with 'Berserk Sword'.

Upon seeing Renamon, the two Knightmon stood aside, giving her and the group access to the doors. They opened on their own as she approached, allowing the group to enter the palace. Once they were inside, the children jumped a little as the doors closed behind them. The inside of the castle was just as ornate as the outside, made out of the same crystal material except for a few support columns.

As the group walked through the palace, they encountered the occasional patrol of Knightmon, but little else. Eventually they came to a set of large, elaborately decorated doors. Renamon motioned for the children to stay where they were as she opened the door. She walked into the room, allowing the children to peek inside. The room was fairly plain, except for the ornate throne at the back. Upon this throne, they saw Queenmon.

Queenmon appeared to be eight feet in height, and was clad in sparkling, white armour. A long purple cape was draped over her shoulders, lined with a golden trim. The helmet of her armour completely covered her face, and was topped with a tall, golden crown. Renamon stepped towards Queenmon, and knelt before her.

"I have returned, my lady," she said, bowing her head.

"Welcome back Renamon, my favourite handmaiden. Are you well today?"

"I am my lady, thank you for your concern."

"Not at all. Now; I've heard that you brought some visitors with you today. However; you did not check with me before inviting them in."

"I ask for your forgiveness my lady, as these visitors are of great importance." She then stood up, and gestured towards the door. "Please allow me to introduce the Children of Virtue."

At Renamon's call, the children and their Digimon entered the throne room. Queenmon seemed surprised at their entrance, and even stood from her throne. The children and their Digimon followed Renamon's example, and kneeled before her. Takeshi was still holding onto his Digiegg, and substituted a short bow. The others stood back up, and waited silently for Queenmon to say something.

"My word," she stammered, apparently still shocked at the children's presence. "Are you truly the Children of Virtue; the heroes who conquered the Demon Lords?"

Seiichi once again stepped forward to speak, Coronamon beside him. "We are indeed the Children of Virtue your majesty. I am Seiichi, and this is my partner; Coronamon. If it pleases you, I shall speak as our representative."

The other children nodded approvingly, except for Daichi, who still looked somewhat disgruntled. Dracomon chuckled weakly on his behalf, and patted Daichi's back. Queenmon nodded to Seiichi, and began to speak again.

"First and foremost, allow me to welcome you back to the Digital World. As you are well aware, this world owes you a great debt."

"This world owes us nothing your majesty, as it was simply our duty to do what we did. Besides; we made many friends here when we came."

"It pleases me to hear that. I am also very pleased that you have come here, as it may very well lead to a turning point in both our worlds."

"May I ask what you mean by that?"

"I believe that you children would make the perfect emissaries for communications between our two worlds."

"To what end do you intend to have communications between our worlds?"

"An alliance of course. Under my rule, the Digital World has reached an order never before achieved in its history. As such, I believe that an alliance between us would be of incredible benefit to both worlds. I know that there aren't many humans who are aware of the Digital World. It is because of this that I was hoping you could act as emissaries on our behalf."

Seiichi was unsure of what to think of Queenmon's proposal. He looked to the other children, who seemed to be just as confused as he was. They had been told that Queenmon had conquered the Digital World, and yet she was talking about a peaceful alliance between their worlds. Coronamon tugged at Seiichi's sleeve, causing him to bend down to listen.

"Don't let her fool you Seiichi," he whispered. "She may not seem aggressive, but remember that none of this is real. None of the Digimon are acting of their own free wills. This order of hers is a great big lie."

Seiichi nodded, and stood up to address Queenmon again. "I'm sorry your majesty, but we came here with a different intention in mind. With respect, we do not think that any single Digimon is suited to rule over an entire world. As such, we would kindly ask you to step down."

Renamon seemed infuriated at this comment, but Queenmon looked at the children thoughtfully. "I'm afraid I must disagree. Ever since I first came to the Digital World, everyone here has revered me. I believe that they all saw in me the potential to rule. When I announced that I intended to rule, there was no one who objected to it."

"Again, with all due respect, we are not sure that this decision was made wisely."

"I think I see now. Since you children did save this world, it is understandable that you would like to have some say in its rulings. I believe that what you did gives you that right. However; I believe I can allay your worries with a simple display of my capabilities."

"What do you mean?"

"Just watch. Renamon, step forward."

Renamon did as she was instructed, and stood before Queenmon. Queenmon held out her hand, which lit up with a soft white light. The light shot out as a stream, and enveloped Renamon. The light formed a sphere around her as she called out 'RENAMON SUPER EVOLUTION!' When the sphere faded, her form had changed; 'TAOMON!'

Taomon still possessed the fox like features that Renamon had, but was now clad in priestly vestments. She had baggy, purple pants that ended just above the floor and a draping shirt with a yin-yang symbol on the breast. Her shirt was white in colour, and the sleeves were longer than her arms. Upon each of her shoulders was a decorative spike, and a tall hat sat on her head.

Taomon looked over her new form, before turning back to Queenmon. "Thank you your majesty, it is an honour to receive this gift from you."

"You're welcome. Consider it a reward for finding the Children of Virtue, and bringing them to me."

Taomon nodded to Queenmon, and then walked back over to her side. The children had watched Queenmon as she evolved Renamon, and were unsure of what to think. Takeshi noticed that when the light faded from her hand, part of it still lingered. Looking for the source of the light, his eyes traveled down the front of Queenmon's armour, until they reached her abdomen. His eye opened wide at what he saw. Embedded in the abdomen of her armour was his Digivice. He knew that it was because it had four buttons instead of three.

Upon seeing it, Takeshi had a sudden outburst; "YOU!"

Everyone else in the room looked at Takeshi, confused at his outburst.

"What's wrong Takeshi?" inquired Hanae worriedly.

Takeshi continued glaring at Queenmon, an enraged look in his eyes. "You kidnapped Chie didn't you?!" he roared. "There's no other way you could have my Digivice."

At these words, the other children looked at Queenmon more thoroughly, and saw the Digivice in her armour. Queenmon seemed taken aback at his accusation.

"What are you talking about?" she asked. "Who is this Chie?"

"She's my sister; a human girl. You took her didn't you?!"

Taomon stepped forward, also looking infuriated; "How dare you make such accusations of her majesty?!"

Before Taomon could say anything else, Queenmon held out a hand to silence her. She then turned to face Takeshi. "I do not know who this Chie is, but I'm sure that this is some misunderstanding."

"Don't lie to me! You have my Digivice; which brought her to the Digital World. What have you done with her?!"

"Calm down," called Daichi, placing a hand on Takeshi's shoulder.

"I would suggest you heed your friend's advice," stated Queenmon firmly. "I do not take kindly to such wild accusations. If this Chie has indeed disappeared here in the Digital World, then perhaps I can help you find her."

Takeshi was not listening to Queenmon, and jerked himself free of Daichi's grip. He stepped towards her, raising his free hand in anger. She stepped forward as well, but before she could do anything, an intense stream of light shot out from the Digivice in her armour. The stream of light landed in Takeshi's free hand, causing something to materialize there. Queenmon let out a shriek and collapsed, falling unconscious. Taomon ran over to her side, as Daichi ran up to Takeshi and pulled him away from them.

"I think it's time for us to go," he said as he brought out his Digivice.

He held the Digivice out, which then began to flash with a bright light. Dracomon was bathed in this light and called out 'DRACOMON EVOLUTION!' Dracomon and the field of light surround him expanded greatly before dispersing; 'COREDRAMON!' Coredramon was a large dragon with vivid blue scales. He had red horns on his head, and his wings were fully formed.

"Everybody on," called Coredramon, bending low to allow the group access.

The children and Digimon scrambled onto Coredramon's back, Takeshi being forcibly pulled along by Daichi. Coredramon let out a roar and called out 'Flare Blast'. Flames licked around his mouth before he unleashed a massive ball of blue fire. The fireball collided with the side wall of the throne room, causing a massive explosion. Coredramon charged the hole that was formed by the explosion, spreading his wings out widely. Everyone on his back gripped tightly as he leapt out of the hole, flying off over the forest.

Shortly after the group left, Queenmon regained consciousness. She gripped her abdomen where the Digivice was with one hand, raising the other to her head. She grunted painfully as she stood up, helped to her feet by Taomon.

"Are you alright your majesty?" she asked worriedly.

"I think so; thank you for your concern."

"You need not thank me your majesty; I am your humble servant. May I ask what happened to you though?"

"I am not sure, but whatever that stream of light was seems to be the cause."

"That light seemed to come from the boy's hand; perhaps he attempted to attack you in his anger."

"That is quite unfortunate, but he seemed very upset over that person he mentioned."

"Do you know who he was talking about? He seemed rather insistent that you did."

"I'm afraid I know not of whom he was speaking. Unfortunately, they fled before the boy had a chance to calm down."

"If I may your highness, I would like to go after them. I believe that we may yet be able resolve this misunderstanding. I feel somewhat obligated to do so, since it was after you granted me the evolution that the boy became angered."

"If that is how you feel, then I shall not stop you. In the meantime, I shall call together the Order of Royal Knights. They are quite wise and may be able to offer me some advice."

"What advice would you need to consult them for your highness?"

"As you saw, the children seemed reluctant to enter with an alliance with me. Perhaps the Knights will be able to offer some insight on what I can do to convince them."

Taomon nodded before walking over to the hole in the wall that Coredramon had made. She raised her hand, in which was clutched a small sutra. She muttered a chant and the sutra dissolved, creating a transparent sphere of energy around her body. The sphere floated out of the hole in the wall and down into the forest, carrying Taomon inside it. Queenmon exited the throne room through a door off to the side of her throne, which promptly closed behind her.

**Author's Notes: **Who better to serve a queen than the Royal Knights? Are that queen's intentions really as benevolent as they seem? What did Takeshi receive from that stream of light? It won't be long before you find out the answers to these questions, and hopefully I can keep you entertained in the process. Thanks for reading.


	6. In with the New

Chapter 5: In with the New

After departing from the Crystal Palace, Coredramon did not stop to check if they were being pursued. Instead, he flew straight and fast, until he arrived back at the lake. He set down gently, and allowed the others to dismount from his back. After that he degenerated back into Dracomon and ran over to Daichi, who was trying to talk to Takeshi. Takeshi still seemed to be shaking with fury, and was panting heavily.

"I can't believe it," he stammered. "I finally thought Chie might be okay; that she might just have gotten lost here. Instead I discover that she was kidnapped."

"You need to calm down Takeshi," said Seiichi, walking up to him. "You're not going to be able to think clearly if you're angry."

Takeshi nodded and took a few deep breaths, after which the shaking and panting ceased.

"Good; now tell us what exactly makes you think Chie was kidnapped by Queenmon."

"It was my Digivice that she used to make Renamon evolve. I think I mentioned it while I was still seeing red."

"Yes you did; and I saw it too. How do you know it's your Digivice though?"

"It had four buttons beneath the screen, unlike the rest of yours which only have three. Also remember that there are no other Digivices; just the ones that we received."

"You have a point, but Queenmon said she didn't know anything about your sister."

"You actually believe that trash!?"

"Please calm down Takeshi," pleaded Hanae, joining the others. "Yelling at Seiichi won't make things any better."

"Sorry, it's just that I can't believe this has happened. I almost lost Chie once before, and I didn't think I'd ever have to go through that again."

"Well; then there's only one thing to do really," called Ayame. "We'll have to go back there and rescue her."

Wisemon walked up to the children, followed closely by Magimon. "I am not so sure that would a good decision right now."

"My brother's right; Queenmon is probably very angry with you. That means that every other Digimon aside from us will be mad at you as well."

"That reminds me," cut in Evan. "You said that our partners were able to resist Queenmon's control because of their relationship with us. I'm just curious as to how the two of you managed to do the same."

The two wizards looked at each other thoughtfully for a moment, unsure of how to answer that question. It was Magimon who spoke first.

"To be honest, we're not really sure how we were able to resist her where the other Digimon could not. We never really thought about it until you mentioned it just now."

"I have an idea," added Wisemon. "Remember that when we were being overseen by Shakkoumon, he put us through very heavy survival and resistance training. Perhaps that training is what gave us the ability to resist her."

"Do you think Shakkoumon knew this was going to happen?"

"Knowing him, that is quite likely. He was clairvoyant after all; he just chose not to divulge information unless it was absolutely necessary."

Ayame interrupted the musings of the wizards. "As interesting as this line of discussion is, don't we have more important things to be talking about?"

"Yes, we need to be thinking about the situations of Queenmon and Chie. If Queenmon really did kidnap her, then charging in trying to rescue her would be a bad idea. She could use her as a hostage, which would leave us in a bad way."

Takeshi cringed at the thought of Chie being a hostage, but said nothing.

"What we really need is a way to get more Digimon back on our side. Do you guys know of any way to break Queenmon's control?"

"I am afraid that we do not. We have tried several spells and sutras, but none of them have had any permanency."

"What about that light from Takeshi's Digivice?" suggested Hanae. "What came out of it?"

Takeshi was momentarily confused, but then his hand closed around the object that had come out of his Digivice. He opened his hand again, revealing the object. It was in fact another Digivice, but it was different from the others. The sides of this Digivice were still straight, but the bottom was circular. The top was also rounded slightly, and now bore the port that had formerly been on the bottom. It still had the same three buttons below the screen as the others, but there was now an additional button on either side. The new buttons were laid over top of handgrips that were black in colour.

Takeshi turned the new Digivice over in his hand, observing it thoroughly. He pressed one of the buttons, which caused the screen to light up. As soon as it did, the Digiegg in his other arm glowed softly. The shell of the Digiegg shattered and dissolved into bits of data. In its place was now a small Digimon. This Digimon resembled a purple orb, with a brown patch that made up its face. It had lime green eyes and two extensions from its head that looked like horns.

Takeshi's face softened a little at the sight of the new Digimon. "Um; hi there."

"Yaa…" replied the newborn Digimon. It spent a moment observing Takeshi, before a smile came on to its face. "Yaa!"

Takeshi scanned the newborn with his new Digivice, revealing him to be 'Yaamon', 'In-training' and 'Data', with nothing listed for an attack. Yaamon hopped down from Takeshi's arm and went over to the other Digimon, looking them over curiously.

"Yaa!"

"How come you can't talk?" asked Dracomon.

"Yaa?"

Wisemon was the one to answer that question. "Remember that he's a newborn Digimon; he hasn't fully developed yet."

"Well; at least something good has happened," said Hanae, bending down to pat Yaamon. The newborn Digimon nuzzled her affectionately.

"Even so, there's still a major issue at hand," cut in Ren. "We have to figure out what to do about Queenmon. If she has the entire Digital World under her control, then defeating her is going to be no easy task."

"I'm not sure we should become aggressive so quickly. Queenmon seemed fairly reasonable, so perhaps we can still convince her to step down peacefully."

"I'm afraid that I cannot allow that."

The group turned to the edge of the clearing in time to see two sutra papers fly out from the tree line. One of these sutras struck Wisemon in the chest, and the other one hit Magimon. Sparks shot from the sutras, after which the two wizards grunted and fell to the ground. Shortly after the wizards fell, the children watched Taomon emerge from the forest.

"What did you do to them?" demanded Hanae, crouching over the unconscious wizards.

"Simple magic sealing sutras," she replied. "However, the two of them are getting off easy compared to the rest of you."

"What are you talking about?"

"I heard you as I was approaching; you're planning to overthrow Queenmon!"

Seiichi stepped forward, attempting to reason with Taomon. "Listen; we do not wish to resort to violence. However, Queenmon's rule is not what it seems. For the good of the Digital World, she must step down."

"Do you honestly expect me to believe that? Queenmon's rule has been just and benevolent; she has brought much peace and order to the Digital World."

"That's only because the Digimon have not been acting of their own free will; they're being controlled by Queenmon."

"Preposterous, I have never once done something against my will under Queenmon's rule."

Before Seiichi could speak further, Taomon hurled another sutra at him. Coronamon stepped in front of him and called 'Petit Prominence', shooting streams of fire from the amulets on his wrists. Coronamon cut the flames off after they burned up the sutra. At the same time Daichi ran up to Seiichi and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think the diplomacy is going to work any more; she's too blindly loyal to Queenmon. If we can break her free of the control, then maybe we can reason with her."

"How exactly do you propose we do that?"

"The usual," replied Daichi, holding out his now glowing Digivice.

Seiichi smirked and pulled out his Digivice, which began to glow as well. The other children followed suit, at which time all of their partners were bathed in the light of evolution. Coredramon was the first to evolve, after which he charged directly at Taomon. The fox shaman proved surprisingly agile, as she quickly back stepped away from him.

By now all the others had evolved, and were prepared to attack Taomon. Ren's partner was now Sealsdramon, who looked like a soldier clad from head to toe in dark green armour, save for a few red patches. He held a knife in each hand and his left eye was mechanical. He focused his mechanical eye on Taomon, looking for a weak point. He held up one of his knives and threw it at her, yelling out 'Tactical Strike'. In response, she batted at the knife with one of her elongated sleeves, knocking it away harmlessly.

Before Taomon could make another move, she was charged by three Digimon at once. They were Firamon, Dobermon and Lekismon, the evolved forms of Coronamon, Labramon and Lunamon respectively. Dobermon was a great black dog with a spiked metal collar, Firamon was a red furred lion with a great yellow mane, and Lekismon was a bipedal rabbit wearing black fighting gloves. Taomon brought out another sutra, which exploded in a cloud of smoke, which gave her the opportunity to get away from the other three Digimon.

Betamon had leapt into the water of the lake as he had evolved, emerging as Seadramon. He was a great, green skinned serpent with red stripes, and a yellow plate over the upper part of his face. Next to him was D'arcmon, the evolved form of Elecmon. She was an angelic Digimon with three golden coloured wings, and had two swords sheathed at her sides. Seadramon roared 'Ice Blast', shooting a large chunk of ice out of his mouth at Taomon.

Taomon brought out yet another sutra, which once again became a transparent sphere of light. The sphere acted as a shield, shattering the chunk of ice launched by Seadramon. As the shield came down, D'arcmon dove in close to her, swinging at her with both swords. This time she was unprepared, and was thrown back by the impact of the swords. When Taomon regained her balance, D'arcmon smirked, seeing that she had managed to cut part of her robe. Taomon glared at her in response.

"It seems that you are indeed strong. However, I must defeat you for the sake of her majesty."

"Sorry, but that's not gonna happen," retorted Coredramon, standing over Taomon. "We're going to make you see sense, even if it means we have to beat you senseless."

Coredramon then called out 'Flare Blast', spewing a massive stream of blue flames from his mouth. The flames engulfed Taomon, but when they faded it was revealed that she had once again erected a barrier. The sphere floated into the air, at which time Taomon fanned out her sleeves. As soon as her barrier came down she called out 'Thousand Spells', causing massive numbers of sutra papers to fly out of her sleeves. As soon as the sutras contacted anything solid, they exploded in a burst of magical energy.

The sutras rained down over the group, forcing the Digimon to shield their human partners. Takeshi managed to get himself out of the way, seeking to protect Yaamon. While the group was occupied by the exploding sutras, Taomon withdrew a massive paintbrush from the sleeve of her robe. She declared 'Talisman of Light', before drawing a shining symbol in the air with the brush. The symbol transpired itself onto Coredramon's back, causing him to roar painfully and collapse to the ground. Taomon repeated this process six more times; once for each of the partner Digimon. They all collapsed under the strain of the seals and, with Coredramon as the exception, reverted to their rookie forms.

Coredramon wearily stood up and turned to face Taomon. "You've got some nerve, trying to attack our partners like that."

"You're not very bright are you? Can't you tell the difference between an offence and a diversion?"

"Coredramon, don't bother trying to talk with her," said Daichi, walking out in front of his partner. "She decided to pick a fight, so it's best that we oblige her." He then pulled out his Digivice and aimed the port on the bottom at Coredramon. He called out 'EVOLUTION LIMIT…'

"Hold it!" exclaimed Hanae, running over to Daichi with Labramon in her arms. "Remember that she's being controlled by Queenmon. If you go all out against her, she might get killed."

"Better her than us."

"Yes, but if we kill her then we'll have no way of appealing to Queenmon again," cut in Seiichi. He then turned to Taomon once more. "Please, cease this attack; if you'd just let us explain."

"There's nothing for you to explain. You want to overthrow her majesty Queenmon and you even tried to attack her. I will not allow that to happen again."

Coredramon roared and thrust a claw down at Taomon. She jumped into the air to avoid it, and threw herself at his chest. There she placed yet another sutra, which sparked violently and caused him to collapse. After that he reverted to Dracomon, and Daichi ran over to his side. Taomon turned her attention away from the others, and over to Takeshi. She walked over to him and held out a sleeved hand.

"I have no desire to harm the newborn," she said, with a stern look on her face. "Please hand him over."

"No way," he replied, "Yaamon is my partner. I'm not going to hand him over to you!"

"Yaa!"

Yaamon then jumped free of Takeshi's arms and rammed his body into Taomon's gut. This action seemed to do little more than annoy her, as she picked up the young Digimon and held his squirming form in her hand. Takeshi grimaced, and wished he had held onto his partner more tightly. Taomon noticed this, and smirked at Takeshi.

"If you truly care about your 'partner'," she taunted, "then I suggest you all surrender now. I shall take you before Queenmon so that she may pass proper judgment for your transgressions."

"That's low!" exclaimed Ayame. "You just said you didn't want to harm the newborn."

"I do not wish to, but I must address the issue of your opposition to Queenmon. If you do not wish for any harm to come to him, then you had best surrender."

"Not a chance," declared Takeshi. "Queenmon took over the Digital World, kidnapped my sister and now, in her name, you're threatening a newborn Digimon. There is no way I'm going to surrender to someone like that."

At Takeshi's words, his new Digivice began to light up. He held the port out at Taomon, and instinctively pressed the button on the left hand side. A stream of light shot out of the Digivice, striking Taomon in the chest. She immediately released Yaamon, who hopped back over to Takeshi, before collapsing to the ground. The children and their partners gathered around her, and watched as she reverted to Renamon.

Renamon opened her eyes slowly and sat up, clutching her head. "What happened to me? The last thing I remember is catching a glimpse of… what's her name… Queenmon."

The children looked to each other momentarily, unsure of what had just transpired. A short distance away, Wisemon and Magimon were also getting to their feet. The sutras that had been immobilizing them had lost their power when Taomon had reverted to Renamon. They approached the group, and were able to provide some answers.

"When you glanced at Queenmon, you were placed under some kind of spell," began Wisemon.

"This spell caused you to be completely under her control, with unquestionable loyalty to her," added Magimon.

"What happened while I was under her control?"

"We do not know much, as we only met you recently. However, you do have this boy to thank for freeing you from that control."

Takeshi was busy looking over his new Digivice again, wondering what exactly it had done. The light from its screen had not faded, and the other children noticed that their Digivices seemed to be resonating with it. All of a sudden their Digivices were completely enveloped by light, at which time their shapes changed. They all now had the same form as Takeshi's Digivice, the only major difference between them being the colour of the grips on the side. Daichi's was blue, Ren's green, Ayame's pink, Seiichi's orange, Hanae's yellow, Kioko's purple and Evan's was red.

"It seems that these new Digivices are the key to removing Queenmon's spell of control from other Digimon," suggested Magimon.

"Unfortunately this will pose a problem;" cut in Wisemon. "It is likely that, since Renamon was a favored vassal, Queenmon would have sent someone along with her to either observe or come to her aide when necessary. If that is the case, then they will be reporting her defeat to Queenmon immediately."

"Once Queenmon learns of what has transpired here, she will likely take the same stance as Taomon, and claim you to be usurpers of her rule. If that happens, then the entire Digital World will be turned against you."

"As such, it is no longer safe for you or your partners to be here."

**Author's Notes: **Credit where credit is due: The design for the new Digivices was taken from an image I found on Deviant Art. That image can be found here: /art/Digivices-UPdate-104220666 I made a few changes to it, but the artist still deserves credit for the original designs.


	7. The Royal Knights

Chapter 6: The Royal Knights

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

"What do you recommend we do?" asked Seiichi, concerned about the revelations of the two wizards.

"I believe it would best for all of you to return to the Human World, at least for now," replied Wisemon.

"Not just you, but your partners as well," added Magimon. "Queenmon saw them with you when you were at the Crystal Palace, and would hunt them down just as she would the rest of you."

"Why should we leave?" demanded Daichi. "If the Digital World is under her control, then we should stay and fight."

The other children and Digimon mumbled amongst themselves, but most of them seemed to agree with Daichi. They had, after all, saved this world once before. The two wizards had called them all here again because the Digital World was once again in peril. Now though, they had told the children to return to the human world, without allowing them to fulfill their reason for coming.

"I realize this may be disappointing for you," stated Wisemon. "However; under the current conditions, you are not prepared to fight against Queenmon."

"What makes you say that?" inquired Ayame.

"We originally brought you here hoping that you would be able to convince Queenmon to step down on her own. We were not sure if it would work, and had planned to send you back if it didn't. We thought that would be the best way to keep you safe while we made preparations for the fight."

"Why would we have to prepare anything?"

"The reason is simple;" replied Magimon. "Queenmon commands the Royal Knights."

The children were confused, and their inquisitive thoughts came out in unison: "Who are the Royal Knights?"

"After you children defeated the Demon Lords and left the Digital World, things finally started to get back in order. Unfortunately, it was not going to an easy process."

"With the Demon Lords themselves gone, many of their servants grew bold, and began to act on desires of their own. As strong as your partners were; without you, they couldn't handle the task of keeping the Digital World safe on their own."

"Fortunately; they were not alone. Aside from the friends who helped you against the Demon Lords, some new allies came into the picture. Several of them were incredibly strong knights, who banded together. They called their new order 'The Royal Knights'."

"If these knights were working to protect the Digital World, then why do we have to worry about them?" cut in Hanae.

"As I said, Queenmon now commands them. They were no better able to resist her than the rest of the Digital World. They are all Mega level Digimon, and are incredibly skilled warriors as well."

Seiichi managed to catch on to what the Wizards were getting at. "Since they're strong Mega Levels; we wouldn't be able to face them without the sacred weapons."

"Still; why can't we stay here and gather them up again?"

"I would be faster and safer for my brother and I to gather the weapons by ourselves. Queenmon cannot reach you in the human world, and we are better suited to avoid her servants. I realize you wish to help, but we believe this would be for the best."

Takeshi spoke up next; "I think you're right. My parents are already worried about Chie's disappearance, and I wouldn't want them to have to worry about me as well."

"Yaa."

"Plus if we were to get into trouble now, there'd be no chance of saving her later," piped in Hanae.

"Well; as much as I'd like to stay and fight, there's no point in doing so until we have a chance to win."

"Don't worry Daichi, we'll be back."

"Thank you for choosing wisely. We would hate to see all of you harmed before you had a chance to fight back."

With that, the children and their Digimon once again gathered together in a group. The two wizards stood on either side of the group and muttered a chant. Upon their muttering, a magic circle once again appeared on the ground beneath the group. The circle lit up and, when it faded, only the wizards and Renamon remain. The two wizards nodded to each other before leaving the clearing. Renamon decided to follow after them.

* * *

Queenmon paced around the back of a dimly lit room. The room was long, but not very wide. In the center of the room, stood a long table. Queenmon looked up when she heard the door on the far side of the room creak open. She seated herself in the tall chair at the end of the table nearest her. After seating herself, she watched the door intently.

As Queenmon watched the door, a group of figures began to pass through it. All of these figures were similar in stature to her, and were all wearing ornate, heavy armour. The first six figures that entered the room seated themselves in chairs at the table, three on each side. The last two figures, which were larger than the others, remained standing at the back of the room.

Once all of the others had seated themselves, Queenmon nodded to each of them in turn and then addressed them. "Thank you all for coming on such short notice. This meeting of the Council of Royal Knights shall now come to order."

Queenmon first looked to the knight on her immediate right. His armour was mostly white, with a few patches of red on his shoulders and knees. A red mask that looked like the wings of a dragon sat atop his helm, and the breast of his armour was emblazoned with a hazard symbol. A long, sweeping red cape hung across his shoulders.

"Gallantmon the Wise," she began, "perhaps you could start off our affairs."

"Gladly," replied the knight. "As you all know, Queenmon would never call all of us together like this without a dire reason. You should have all heard by now that a group of humans came into our world yesterday. These humans were none other than the Children of Virtue who, ages ago, saved our world from the threat of the Demon Lords."

An interjection came from the knight sitting directly across from Gallantmon. This knight's armour was golden in colour, and did not cover the entirety of his body. It consisted of leggings from the knee down, gauntlets on his wrist, plated pads at his waist and shoulders, and a pointy mask over his face. The parts of his body that weren't covered showed scaly, bluish skin, with a tail at the base of his back and three clawed fingers on each hand.

"Yes, Magnamon the Bold," stated Gallantmon, addressing him.

"You said that these humans were the Children of Virtue. If that is the case, then why is there cause for concern?"

The knight sitting next to Magnamon cut in before any of the others had a chance to respond. This knight had dark brown armour with white patches on his legs and torso. There was a red sash around his waist and a pair of small, white wings sticking out from his back. There was a tuft of golden hair coming out the top of his helm, which looked like the head of a mountain lion. He was known as Duftmon the Swift.

"I know that you are new here Magnamon," he chided. "However; that does not excuse you from coming into this council unaware of the situation."

"I'm afraid I have to agree with Duftmon," said Gallantmon, "but there is no time for chastising given the circumstances. You should have been informed that not only did the Children of Virtue not accept her Majesty's offering of an alliance, they even asked her to step down from her throne."

"Preposterous," came the voice of another knight. This knight was sitting next to Gallantmon, and had banged his fist on the table. He was adorned in cruel looking white armour that bore many spikes and rough edges. His helm resembled the head of a dragon, and two tattered black wings sprouted from his back. On the palm of his open hand, a large red jewel could be seen.

"Queenmon is the rightful ruler of the Digital World, and has been nothing but benevolent in her rule."

"My partner is right," said the next knight down the table. "This is truly an injustice."

This knight was much more slender than the others, her armour hinting at a feminine form. The armour was a bright pink colour, and was lined with gold around the joints. Her helm bore no particular shape, but had a pair of golden, wing like ornaments atop it. Much of her armour was adorned with metallic, yellow ribbons.

"Dynasmon, Crusadermon," cut in Gallantmon, "I know that these are grave transgressions indeed. However; perhaps we should hear more of the details from Queenmon first."

"Thank you Gallantmon," said Queenmon calmly. "It is true that the Children of Virtue did not seem comfortable with my rule of the Digital World. I opted to show them a sample of my power, but unfortunately this had the opposite effect of what I intended. Upon seeing my power, one of the children lashed out violently. He seemed to think I was responsible for the disappearance of another human child. On that note, Craniamon, I ask if you managed to find anything about this human child."

The knight that Queenmon had addressed was sitting at the far end of the table, opposite Crusadermon. His armour was a deep blue colour with a few patches of purple interspersed on it. Heavy gauntlets covered his wrists, and his hands and feet were claw-like in appearance. His helm looked like the skull of a demon, with two purple horns sticking out the back of it.

"I am afraid that I was unable to find any information regarding another human child. So far as anyone is aware; the Children of Virtue were the only humans to ever come into this world."

"I think it was a ruse," stated Duftmon. "I think that the Children of Virtue seek to rule the Digital World themselves."

"What brought you to this conclusion?" asked Magnamon.

"Think about it; when they were here last, the Children of Virtue defeated the terrible Demon Lords. As such, they must possess incredible power. This power, coupled with pride over their actions, could instill thoughts of ruling in them."

One of the knights at the back of the room spoke up at this time. Unlike the other knights, this one was not humanoid, instead resembling a centaur with six legs. His armour was mostly red with blue emblems marked on it. Two great spiked plates, golden in colour, jutted out of the back of his humanoid upper body. He was known as Sleipmon, the Noble.

"Your claim has validity Duftmon," he stated, "but do you have any manner of proof to support it?"

Before Duftmon could answer, the door to the chamber opened once again. Standing at the door was a Knightmon, who seemed to be in a panic. He straightened himself out and bowed to Queenmon and the knights before speaking.

"Perhaps you can shed some light on this situation," said Queenmon, addressing the Knightmon.

"My lady Queenmon," he said, "I have returned from the forest as soon as I could."

"Why is Taomon not with you?"

"I'm afraid I have some rather grievous news concerning her, as well as the Children of Virtue. I think they might be trying to take control of the Digital World."

"You are the second person to make that claim here today," stated Dynasmon. "What have you seen to merit such an accusation?"

"Well; as you ordered, I followed after Taomon when she went to pursue the Children of Virtue. She had followed them to a clearing in the forest containing a lake. I know not what happened before I arrived, but when I got there, she was engaged in battle with the humans and their Digimon companions."

"Taomon followed the children in an attempt to reconcile them. I do not believe she would engage them without good reason."

"It is what happened afterwards that is most unnerving. Taomon had subdued the children's Digimon, and had taken to speaking with one of the children. I know not what they were speaking of, as I was too far away, but one of the male humans had become irate. That led me to believe he was the same human that had become angered with you."

"What did this boy do, to unnerve you so?"

"While they were talking, a bright light erupted from the boy's hand, and struck Taomon. This light seemed to drain her of her energy, as she reverted to Renamon. I saw that the other children seemed to possess similar lights. However; it was what came after that was most unnerving. When she regained consciousness, Renamon seemed to have lost all of her loyalty to your highness."

"This is unnerving indeed," cut in Crusadermon. "Renamon was one of your most loyal vassals. For her to become disloyal is utterly unthinkable."

"Shortly after that, the Children of Virtue were magically transported, to where I know not. Afterwards, the two mages that were with them departed, taking Renamon with them. I am merely guessing at this, but I think that light they possess is used to control the wills of Digimon."

Craniamon spoke up next. "It is said that the Children of Virtue possessed a magical light that was used to strengthen their partners. However; the records do not show how they came to be partnered with those Digimon. It is not beyond the realm of possibility that the Digimon were being controlled."

"If that is truly the case," added Crusadermon, "then the history around them is far less virtuous than they would claim."

"These are indeed grievous accusations," stated Gallantmon. "However; there is yet no proof behind them."

"Also remember that the one child was upset over the disappearance of another human, and seems to think me responsible. If nothing else, I would like to correct this misgiving. However; if they do have hostile intentions, then we must get to the bottom of them."

The rest of the knights looked to the back of the room, as the last knight, who had remained silent up until now, cleared his voice to speak. This knight was clad in shimmering white armour for his legs, torso and helm. His arms however, were somewhat bizarre. His left was orange in colour, and in place of a hand, was the head of a dragon. His right arm was blue, and bore the head of a wolf. A flowing white cape hung across his mismatched shoulders.

"What is it, Omnimon the Infinite?"

"I believe that there are several problems here with a common solution," he replied. "We wish to determine the true motivations of the Children of Virtue, and also to convey ours to them. In order to do this, we must first establish communications with them. I suggest we send an envoy to them, and have him report back to us on his findings."

"The problem with that is that we don't know where they went."

"I have my suspicions. Regardless of their own intentions, the human children would be concerned about our reaction to their actions here. As such, they would have fled somewhere they believe to be safe. Where safer for a human, than their own world?"

"It would be possible to send an envoy to the Human World, but how would we find them?"

"If you trace the magic used to transport them, you should be able to find their general location. However; perhaps we should send a few envoys, so as to lessen the burden of searching. I already know a few allies that would be willing to undertake this responsibility."

"Why are we not taking this mission on ourselves?" asked Magnamon.

"I believe it would be best if we stayed here with her majesty. There are signs of dark times coming, and I believe we are needed most here. As you all know, we were faced with the desertion of one of our own not too long ago."

"Indeed; his departure was most unexpected."

"Very well; we shall send envoys to the Human World. Hopefully this can be resolved quickly and peacefully."

**Author's Notes: **Just a bit about the Royal Knights. They are all roughly humanoid in size, and are not the massive titans seen in Digimon Savers. Magnamon is the shortest at 6 feet in height. Crusadermon, Duftmon and Gallantmon are 7 feet tall each. Craniamon and Dynasmon are 8 feet tall. Sleipmon is slightly taller, being a centaur, and stands at a total of 11 feet in height. Omnimon is an exception, and the tallest member of the group, standing at 14 feet in height.


	8. An Unwanted Guest

Chapter 7: An Unwanted Guest

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

When the bright light surrounding the children faded, they found themselves back in the park once more. This time something was very different from the last time they had returned from the Digital World. This time, their partners had come with them. The children had been concerned for the wellbeing of their partners, and had not had any objections to the wizards sending them along as well. Now that they were back in the human world though, the children realized the problem with having their Digimon with them.

Due to the time difference between the Human and Digital Worlds, only a minute or so had passed in the real world since the children had left. Fortunately, there was no one else around the park this early in the morning. If there had been, then their partners might have been discovered.

"This might be a problem," mused Seiichi.

"Why's that?" asked Coronamon.

Kioko was the one to answer his question. "I don't mean to offend you or anything, but he means there might be a problem with you guys being here in our world."

The Digimon gazed at her with confused looks. "I don't understand," stated Elecmon. "What's so bad about us Digimon being here? We're safe from Queenmon and her followers here; right?"

"That's not the problem I meant. It's just that, most humans don't know about the existence of the Digital World. In fact; the eight of us are the only humans who know about it at all."

Dracomon looked at Daichi and smirked. "How come you never told anyone you saved an entire world from destruction? I thought that was your dream or something."

Daichi reddened a little in response. "As much as I would have liked to brag about it, no one would have believed me. Although; they might if I showed you to them."

"You know that's not a good idea Daichi," cut in Ayame. "Do you have any idea how badly people would freak out if they saw the Digimon? They might call in the army or the police or something. Then we'd have to worry about opposition from this world as well as the digital one."

"If it's going to be so much trouble, then would it be better if we went back to our own world?"

"Of course not," replied Hanae, "we're just concerned for your well being. Although there aren't any Digimon here to hurt you; people tend to be afraid of things they've never seen before. This just means we'll have to keep you a secret from everyone else."

"That's not going to be easy though. Yaamon could be seen as a stuffed animal and Labramon could pass for a dog from this world, but the rest of you stick out a bit more."

"I think it would be best if we each came up with our own plans for keeping the Digimon hidden," suggested Seiichi. He then turned to his sister; "Coronamon and Lunamon could probably stay in the old dojo building."

Evan then spoke up; "I think I'll take Betamon down to the beach near the hotel I'm staying at. There's a little stretch I used to practice surfing at; no one else usually comes there."

"I'm pretty good at camouflage and hiding," cut in Commandramon. "I should be fine on my own, so long as I stick close to Ren."

"By the way Takeshi, I hope you don't mind some company."

"What do you mean by that, Daichi?"

"I figured that, after all that's happened to you, you could use some friendly company. Besides, it gives me an excuse to keep Dracomon a secret from my parents."

Takeshi smiled at his friend, after which Yaamon smiled as well, following his lead. "Yaa!"

"Well; now that that's been covered, we should all get going. The wizards will probably contact us again when they have the weapons, so we should wait to hear from them."

The other children nodded their agreement before dispersing. Soon, only Takeshi and Daichi, along with their partners, were left. They decided to walk back to Takeshi's place, since taking the train would attract some unwanted attention. Fortunately, Odaiba was only half an hour from the park on foot.

When the two of them reached the populated areas again, Takeshi took great care to lead Daichi along the backstreets. Thankfully, they managed to avoid running into anyone along the way. When they finally reached Takeshi's subdivision, they led Dracomon around the back of Takeshi's home and helped him up onto the window box outside his room.

Upon entering the house, they were met by Takeshi's mother again.

"Takeshi, where have you been?" she asked.

"Sorry mom, guess I forgot to tell you. Me and a few friends went out this morning to look for Chie."

"Oh. Well; just make sure you tell me next time you head out. I don't think I could bear it if I lost you too."

"Don't worry mom, we'll find her. The police are looking too, remember?" Takeshi felt somewhat guilty about not telling her what he knew about Chie, but felt it wouldn't be the best time to mention she was taken to another world.

Daichi, noticing the tension, decided to cut in. "I hope you don't mind my intrusion. I just thought Takeshi could use some companionship to take his mind off things."

Takeshi's mother nodded. "Of course I don't mind. Please; make yourself at home."

Taking her at her word, the two children went upstairs and entered Takeshi's room. Thankfully, she hadn't said anything about Yaamon, as he was still in Takeshi's arms. They closed the door tight behind them, before unlocking the window to let Dracomon in. After that, Takeshi set Yaamon down on a pillow, where he promptly fell asleep

"Your world sure is strange," commented Dracomon. "The whole place is like the City Area."

"That's just because you're in a big city," replied Daichi. "That's a lot more diversity outside this city." He then turned to Takeshi. "Are you sure it was smart to not say anything to your mom? I mean, at least you found out where Chie went, right?"

Takeshi's shook his head. "The last thing she needs to know is that Chie was kidnapped by a Digimon and taken to another world. I'm sure your parents would freak if they knew you'd been traveling to another world and getting in to all these dangerous situations."

Daichi chuckled weakly. "I guess you're right."

"So, what do we do now?"

"I guess all we can do is wait for a call from the wizards again. Although; based on the time difference between our worlds, I'm surprised we haven't heard anything already."

"I'm sure there must be a reason for that. Still, you're right; all we can do is wait."

Unfortunately the wait going was going to be a tough one, as the children seemed to have a hard time finding something to keep themselves occupied. At first, Daichi wanted to use Takeshi's computer, but they found that it wasn't operational. Due to this, Takeshi suggested they turn on the news to see if it was related to the electrical disturbances that were afflicting Japan. This was another dead end, as the TV wasn't functional either.

"Well this sucks," commented Daichi. "How are we supposed to find out what's going on when everything used to convey the news is on the fritz?"

"I don't know; I figured they'd have fixed the problem by now. It has been a couple days already."

The two were interrupted by a loud electric discharge. They immediately turned around, at which point they saw that Yaamon was awake. There was smoke coming from Takeshi's alarm clock, next to which the baby Digimon was shaking nervously. Apparently the discharge has startled him. Upon seeing this, Takeshi had an idea flash through his mind.

"Hey, do you think maybe the Digimon are the cause of this electronic trouble?"

"What makes you think that?" asked Daichi.

"The electrical trouble started two days ago. If my estimation is correct, then that's the same time that Queenmon appeared in the Digital World."

"Isn't that just a coincidence?"

"Not after I just saw Yaamon fry my clock. It makes sense though; if the Digital World is connected to our Digital networks, then it would make sense that a disturbance there would cause problems here as well."

"I guess that means I should stay away from these computer things," commented Dracomon.

"Yaa," sounded Yaamon weakly.

Before the two of them had an opportunity to discuss the topic further, they were alerted by a beeping signal from their Digivices. Upon pulling them out, the children were a little confused. Unlike before, there was no message in Digiscript appearing on the screen. Instead; there were three dots, two of them close together and the third further away.

"What do you think this means?" asked Takeshi.

"I'm not sure," replied Daichi. "This is sort of similar to the signals we got from each others Digivices when we separated before in the Digital World."

"Meaning?"

"Back then it meant that one of the others was close by, but I'm not sure what business the others might have around here. Maybe it means something else."

Dracomon chose this moment to interject. "I can sense another Digimon nearby!"

"What?" said the two children together.

"What's worse is that it isn't one of our friends."

"You mean another Digimon came into our world?!"

"It seems that way."

"We'd better hurry up and deal with this then, before anyone else runs into it and causes problems."

With that, the two children dashed to the open window. Dracomon flew down to the yard and then Daichi jumped after him. Takeshi gathered Yaamon in his arms and jumped down to the yard as well. Daichi led the way, holding his Digivice out in front of him. He followed the signal as the third dot drew closer. He assumed the other two dots were referring to their own Digimon.

Fortunately when the two of them ran into this other Digimon, he was in a back alley. This Digimon really looked like a monster. He had craggily green skin and a distorted facial expression. He had a pair of horns on his head and several spikes elsewhere on his body. In his right hand, he held a spiked piece of bone that looks like a club. Before Daichi could press a button, his reformed Digivice brought up an image of the Digimon. He was listed as 'Ogremon', 'Champion', 'Virus,' and 'Pummel Whack'.

The two children eyed the Digimon suspiciously, but it didn't make any moves yet. Instead, it spoke to them. "My name is Ogremon, and I come here on behalf of Queenmon. I assume that, since the two of you are with Digimon, that you are the children she's looking for."

"Yeah that's us. What have you come here for?"

"I was given instructions to bring you and the other children back to the Crystal Palace for an audience with her Highness."

"I'm afraid we'll have to decline."

"I was told you'd probably say that. I was also told that, if that was the case, I could bring you in by force."

"I'd like to see you try; get him Dracomon!"

Dracomon stepped forward to face Ogremon while Daichi brought his Digivice forward. Before it could activate, Takeshi placed a hand on his arm. He shook his head at Daichi.

"That's not a good idea right now," he stated. "Coredramon is too big to not attract any attention."

Daichi rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah, you're right about that."

"No biggie," called Dracomon, "I can probably take this guy on my own."

"I highly doubt that, you look like a little wimp to me."

"We'll see about that."

With that, Dracomon leapt at Ogremon head on. The larger Digimon was not expecting this, and was forced back when Dracomon's head impacted his gut. He recovered quickly though, and knocked him away with his free hand. Dracomon landed on his feet back near the children before calling out 'Tiny Flame'. A small, blue-green fireball shot from his mouth towards Ogremon. He responded by smacking the flame with his club before it could hit him, causing it to disperse. Dracomon grunted; if he couldn't defeat this Digimon, then the children and Yaamon would be in trouble.

Yaamon meanwhile, was becoming agitated. He was wiggling in Takeshi's arms, trying to get free. Takeshi held on tight, not wanting him to get hurt. Ogremon snickered at them as he continuously batted Dracomon away. When the small dragon began to wobble and pant, the demon lowered his weapon.

"It should be obvious that you can't beat me the way you are now. This would be a lot easier if you came quietly."

At that moment, Yaamon broke free of Takeshi's grasp. He hobbled up to Dracomon and stared at Ogremon fiercely. Ogremon was about the start laughing, when Takeshi's Digivice erupted with evolutionary light. When Yaamon was bathed in it, he shouted out; 'YAAMON!' When the light faded, he had grown to about the size of a toddler. 'IMPMON!'

Impmon was the same colour as Yaamon, but now had a full body with arms and legs. His face was white now instead of brown, but his eyes were still green. Each foot had three clawed toes and each hand had three fingers, although they were covered by red gloves. A small, pronged tail stuck out form his lower back and a yellow, fanged smiley face adorned his chest. He also had a red bandana around his neck.

Ogremon stared at the new combatant with contempt. "Looks like I have two little wimps to wail on now, instead of one."

Impmon turned to Dracomon; "Can you keep going?"

"Yeah, I just need a second to catch my breath."

"Sure thing."

Impmon then stepped forward towards Ogremon. The demon Digimon raised his club, and Impmon stopped moving. He then held up both of his hands, causing a small ball of flames to appear above each finger. He then thrust his hands forward, throwing the flames at Ogremon. He was forced back by the barrage of flames, and when he looked forward again, Dracomon had returned to his feet as well.

"Let's finish this."

"I hear ya."

Dracomon opened his mouth wider than before, causing flames to lick around his jaws. He called out 'Tiny Burner', shooting a continuous stream of fire from his mouth. Impmon followed suit by calling out 'Night Fire', at which point a red fireball appeared in his hands. He pushed his hands forward, causing the fireball to turn into another stream of flames. Ogremon was engulfed by the flames and let out a wail. His data soon dispersed, and the two rookie Digimon cut off their streams of fire. Afterwards, they fell back on their butts, clearly exhausted.

Takeshi walked up to Impmon and patted him on the shoulder. "Congrats on the evolution."

"I should be thank you for it," he replied. "After all, you're my partner."

"We should get back now," cut in Daichi, "before your mother sees that we're gone and freaks out."

"Right."

Upon returning to Takeshi's place, they thankfully found the room undisturbed. Takeshi then proceeded to clear out some space in his closet, so that the Digimon could be stashed inside if someone else came into the room. After that, the two children turned back to the problem of the Digimon appearing in the Human World. They were truly disturbed that Queenmon had been able to send a servant here to follow them.

Daichi whipped out his cell phone and called up Ren. "Hey Ren, we've got trouble."

"Are you talking about the signal on the Digivices?"

"So you got it too?"

"I saw the signals, but I didn't know what they meant. After a while they went away, but I was still hoping someone would contact once they knew what was going on."

"Unfortunately, it's nothing but bad news. Takeshi and I just fought off a Digimon here in this world. Apparently Queenmon sent him after us."

"So much for being able to hide from her here."

"Still; we need to tell the others about this. We also need to figure out what we're going to do about it."

"Alright then, let's meet in the park again tonight. We'll wait until after dark so that we have a bit of privacy."

"Right, I'll see you then. Let's call up the others and make sure they know."

**Author's Note: **I'm sure most of you reading this are familiar with Digimon Tamers and Impmon's role in it. However; I would ask that anyone reviewing this story leave spoilers like that out, just in case anyone is reading who isn't familiar with that role.


	9. Gathering Tension

Chapter 8: Gathering Tension

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

After their encounter with Ogremon, Daichi and Takeshi had immediately contacted the other children. They were all thoroughly surprised upon hearing that a Digimon working under Queenmon had followed them back. They also came to the realization that if one had followed them; then others could, and most likely would. Since the danger to the real world was grossly apparent, the children agreed to meet up once more and discuss their options

They decided to hold the meeting after dark, when there would be fewer people around. Even though the threat was serious, they still wanted their partners to remain a secret so that they wouldn't be mistaken for part of that threat. They got together in the park, as was their usual habit, with Daichi and Takeshi being the last to arrive, along with Dracomon and Impmon.

"Sorry we're late guys," called Daichi.

"It was difficult to sneak out of the house without alerting my parents," added Takeshi. "I still don't want them to worry about me in addition to Chie."

"That's alright," replied Hanae, "most of us just got here anyways."

Seiichi, not wanting to get caught up in small talk, jumped straight to the point. "So; the two of you fought off a Digimon here in the real world?"

"Yeah, unfortunately."

"Are you certain he was an enemy?" cut in Evan.

"Definitely; he told us himself that he was working for Queenmon. According to him, she wants us to come back to the Digital World to talk things over."

"I don't think that would be any use," stated Ren. "She's sure of her own authority and doesn't seem to want to hear otherwise."

"Her invitation was anything but friendly. Apparently Ogremon was given orders to use force if we wouldn't come willingly."

"That's not all that's bad about this," mentioned Kioko. "According to a report I saw, there were a bunch of 'monster sightings' called in today. Even though they were mostly ignored, we have to assume it means Ogremon wasn't alone."

"If more Digimon come to this world, then it could cause other problems than just sightings. If we have to fight stronger enemies, then innocent people might get dragged into the crossfire."

"Maybe we should go back. Maybe if we talk with Queenmon, we can keep her out of the Human World."

"I don't think that's a good idea Takeshi. We don't know her real motives and, based on what we've seen so far, they're not as benevolent as she'd like us to believe."

"That's right! Not only did she send her servants to attack us, but she also kidnapped your sister. I imagine she did it after Chie was transported to the Digital World by the Digivice, taking advantage of her confusion."

"We don't know any of that for sure."

"Even so, it's not a good idea. We should at least wait until the Wizards bring us the Sacred Weapons. Once we have those, we can face Queenmon just in case she tries to pull anything funny."

"Speaking of which, has anyone heard from them yet?"

"No, and it's starting to worry me. Time passes a lot faster in the Digital World. Based on that; it shouldn't have taken them this long to gather the weapons and let us know."

"Even so, all we can really do is wait for them. If we went back to the Digital World to look for them, we'd be putting ourselves in the type of danger we came back here to avoid."

"It seems as though things will be dangerous no matter where we go."

As though responding directly to his statement, Ren's Digivice began to beep incessantly. The other children's Digivices began to react shortly afterwards. The display on the Digivice showed the cluster of dots representing the children's Digimon, as well as two additional signals. The other two signals seemed to be moving towards them.

Before the children had time to react to the approaching Digimon, they were forcefully shoved to the ground by their partners. There was a whooshing noise followed immediately by an explosion. Although none of the children had been struck by the impact, they were pelted by bits of earth and debris from the nearby explosion.

Daichi was the first to stand up and observe what had happened. Looking around he was able to see the blast crater where whatever had attacked them had impacted. Closest to the crater were Evan, Takeshi and their partners, all of whom were unconscious. Daichi and Dracomon ran over to them while the other children were getting to their feet.

Seiichi looked towards the source of the attack, and saw two figures shrouded by the dust thrown into the air by the explosion. When it finally settled, he got a clear view of their attackers. The first seemed to have an odd shape, as his body appeared slender with chunks of bulky armour around his feet, waist, chest, shoulders and arms. The armour was mostly green in colour with bits of red and silver also visible. There was a rocket launcher on his back and a spiked helmet on his head. He was holding up his left arm, which ended in a smoking barrel; indicating that he had been responsible for the explosion.

Standing next to him was what appeared to be a tall, slender, humanoid rabbit. In addition to being tall, this rabbit was also lanky, with her arms reaching almost to her feet. Her skin was brown with a few spots of pink, and she wore a purple sash around her neck. She also seemed be wearing light armour over her torso. As Seiichi watched the two, he saw this rabbit strike the other on the head.

"What did you do that for? You could have killed them!"

"That was just a warning shot; I wanted to let them know we mean business."

"It's hard to negotiate with them if you blow them to smithereens before we can even talk to them."

Seiichi took the time they spent bickering as an opportunity to bring out his Digivice. Like Daichi's, his immediately brought up information on the two of them. The green armoured rabbit was 'Rapidmon', 'Ultimate' and 'Data' with 'Rapid Fire' as his attack. The tall, brown rabbit was 'Antylamon', 'Ultimate' and 'Data' with 'Bunny Blades'.

By this time, the other children and their partners had all gotten to their feet. The only exceptions were Evan and Takeshi, who were being tended to by Daichi and Kioko. The remaining four partner Digimon gathered in a line in front of the children, while the children brought out their Digivices. They tensed themselves, and braced for another attack. This attack however, did not come just yet. The tall, brown rabbit stepped forward and held out a hand in front of the green one to prevent him from advancing.

"I really must apologize for my partner's conduct," she said, her voice carrying a very polite tone. "He wanted to subdue you instead of trying to speak with you and managed to attack before I could stop him."

"Knocking out two of our friends is not a great way to start a conversation," chided Ayame. "What do you want anyways?"

"We're here to take you back to the Digital World for what you did," began Rapidmon, before Antylamon cut him off.

"What exactly did we do?" demanded Ren.

"As I understand it, you children are currently accused with assaulting her Majesty Queenmon, as well as being responsible for the disappearance of one her vassals. If what we detected earlier is true, then you also destroyed another of her servants who was sent here to find you."

"He attacked us first," protested Dracomon. "Simply because we said we didn't want to go with him."

"He was well within his right to do so. We were given permission to exercise force if you refused to come along quietly."

"It seems like you've already exercised force," snapped Ayame.

"I don't think we're going to be able to get them off our case," cut in Seiichi. He then turned to Daichi and Kioko. "You two look after Evan and Takeshi; the rest of us will handle these two."

Kioko and Daichi nodded to him and gestured for their partners to join them. Ren, Seiichi, Ayame and Hanae stepped forward towards Antylamon and Rapidmon. They brought up their Digivices in unison, all of which burst with the light of evolution. When the light faded; Lekismon, Firamon, Sealsdramon and Dobermon stood before the two rabbits, ready to engage them.

Antylamon let out a sigh. "I was hoping it wouldn't come to this. However; if you're determined to defy Queenmon, then we have no choice but to stop you."

Rapidmon scoffed at her. "If you didn't want to fight, then you should have stayed behind. I could have handled this rabble on my own."

"I know, but I wanted to come along to make sure things went smoothly. You tend to get out of hand when I'm not around."

Ren looked back to the other children when faced with the rabbits' bickering. Seiichi looked as dumbfounded as he was while Hanae just shrugged. Ayame took advantage of the few extra moments they got to send Lekismon in for an attack. She leapt towards the other two and called out 'Midnight Bomber', delivering a forceful punch to Antylamon's chest.

Antylamon was caught off guard by the attack since she hadn't been paying attention. The attack knocked her down, but Rapidmon stepped in front of her before Lekismon could make another move. Lekismon was surprised by this, since she hadn't even seen him move. Before she could react, he spun around and delivered a kick to her side, throwing her back towards the others. Thankfully, she was caught by Sealsdramon before she crashed into anything.

While Rapidmon still had his back turned, Dobermon lunged at him, pushing off forcibly with his hind legs. He called out 'Panzer Claw', bearing his claws fiercely. Although it seemed like the attack would connect, Rapidmon suddenly wasn't there anymore. Before Dobermon realized it, the green rabbit was above him, driving his elbow into his side.

As Dobermon fell, Firamon roared furiously. He declared 'Fira Bomb' before launching a massive ball of red flames from his mouth. This attack was cut off by Antylamon rejoining the fight. She called out 'Bunny Blades', at which time each of her hands shifted into the shape of an axe. She sliced through the fireball, causing it to disperse. She then spun around and struck Firamon with the flat of her other blade.

Sealsdramon took this opportunity to launch an attack on Rapidmon. He called out 'Tactical Strike', and swiftly hurled a knife at Rapidmon; aiming right for his face. Instead of moving, Rapidmon held his arms out at his side and yelled 'Tri-Beam'. A triangle of light appeared between his arms and legs, from which a massive beam was projected. The beam completely engulfed Sealsdramon's knife, dissolving it instantly. The beam continued on to strike Sealsdramon, who felt his armour heat up and corrode.

When the beam ceased, Sealsdramon fell on his back before reverting to Commandramon. Ren ran up to him while Ayame gritted her teeth. She, Hanae and Seiichi had been rejoined by their partners, who together scowled at the two rabbits. Antylamon one again held up a hand to stop Rapidmon. She then turned back to the children.

"Please do not continue this fighting. Queenmon's will shall prevail in the end, so please don't throw your lives away needlessly. You still have a chance to appeal to her, if you come with us now."

Ayame grunted and turned to Seiichi, who wore an unexpected smirk. "Looks like this isn't enough to beat them," he said casually.

Seiichi then held out his Digivice, which brought a smirk to Ayame's face as well. She brought hers forth also, as did Hanae after a moment. Together, the three of them called out 'Evolution Limit… BREAK!' After this declaration, a concentrated stream of light shot from the ports on their Digivices. The light was in the same colour as the grips on the side of the devices. The Digimon were struck by the streams, after which they were enveloped by spheres of light of the same colour.

Dobermon's evolved form, Cerberumon, was the first to emerge from the yellow sphere of light. His form still resembled that of a great dog, but his hide seemed like armour instead of fur. His tail had grown longer and he had three metal, bladed claws sticking out of each paw just above his normal claws. Upon each of his forward shoulders sat another head, complete with eyes, ears and fangs.

Lekismon was the next to emerge from her sphere of pink light, although she was now in the form of Crescemon. Her form was much the same as it was, but she now had weapons and armour as well. She had a heavy helmet and boots, a pair of gauntlets and a firm chest piece. In her right hand she now carried a weapon which consisted of a rod with a crescent shaped blade on the tip. In her left, she held a shield that bore the shape and emblem of a half moon.

Firamon emerged from the orange sphere of light on his hind legs as Flaremon. He still resembled a great red lion with a massive yellow mane. However; he had traded his wings for heavy, plated shoulder and chest armour. There were amulets embedded in these shoulder plates in addition to the ones on his wrists. A great flame burned on the tip of his tail, and sharp yellow claws poked out form each of his fingers and toes.

Antylamon and Rapidmon seemed taken aback by the appearance of the three Ultimate level Digimon. Nonetheless, they stood their ground and waited for them to make a move. The children's Digimon held back, waiting for the best time to attack. The waiting seemed to get on Rapidmon's nerves, causing him to make the first move. He brought up his arms and called out 'Rapid Fire'; discharging several missiles from each barrel.

The three Digimon scattered, as did their human partners. The missiles impact the ground, tearing several large craters into it. Unfortunately for Rapidmon, he had been slowed by the recoil from his attacks. This allowed Crescemon and Cerberumon to quickly approach him from either side. Crescemon leapt at Rapidmon, thrusting her weapon forward. Rapidmon was able to duck under her attack, but fell shortly afterwards. Cerberumon had slid under him and knocked him off balance.

Before he could get up Crescemon coupled her weapons together to form a crossbow. She called out 'Twilight Arrow', causing a pale pink bolt of energy to appear in her weapon. At the same time, Cerberumon opened all three of his mouths wide, inside each of which appeared a bright green fireball. He roared 'Emerald Blaze', and shot all three fireballs directly at Rapidmon. The fireballs converged on him the same instant that Crescemon's attack struck, resulting in a large explosion.

When the smoke from the blast cleared, Rapidmon was in rough shape. He was flat on his back and twitching. His armour bore many chips and scratches, and even had large chunks missing in some places. After a moment, his twitching stopped. However; his data did not disperse, indicating that he was merely unconscious.

Meanwhile, Antylamon had been grappling with Flaremon. She had been using her blades to keep him at a distance, so he had been unable to bring her down. When Rapidmon was blasted, she looked to her comrade, worried about his condition. Flaremon took this opportunity to make his move. He let out a loud roar of 'Crimson Wave', after which a tide of bright red flames streamed from his mouth. The wave of fire washed over Antylamon, after which she fell to the ground, also unconscious.

After knocking out the two servants of Queenmon, the children's Digimon backed off. By this time, Takeshi, Evan and their partners had regained consciousness. Commandramon had also managed to get back on his feet. The rest of the group approached Ayame, Seiichi and Hanae, pleased to see their enemies had fallen. The children looked to the bodies, then to each other, somewhat confused.

"So, what do we do now?" inquired Kioko.

"When Impmon and I fought Ogremon," began Dracomon, "we destroyed him during the fight."

"I don't think that's a good idea," said Hanae. "We already beat them, and destroying them now wouldn't be fair. Plus, they don't seem like bad Digimon. They were just under Queenmon's control."

"Well that's it then," called Evan. "If we free them from Queenmon's control, then there won't be any problem. After that, they can probably use whatever method they did to get here to return to the Digital World."

They then turned to look at Takeshi. "You purified Taomon before, right? How did you do it?"

"I'm not sure; I kind of did it without thinking. If I remember correctly, I pressed the button on the left side and then the light shot out of the port."

Seiichi and Ayame, who were closest to Rapidmon and Antylamon respectively, followed Takeshi's instructions. They held up their Digivices and aimed the ports on the top towards the two Digimon. They pressed the buttons together, after which bright streams of white light shot from the ports, engulfing the Digimon. As the two of them were engulfed by the light, they began to shrink.

When the light finally faded, the forms of two familiar, floppy eared rabbits could be seen. The one that had been Rapidmon was white with green markings, while the other was brown with pink markings. The children knew them to be Terriermon and Lopmon, two Digimon they had encountered in their previous trip to the Digital World.

When the two of them awoke, they seemed a bit dazed. They seemed fairly calm though, especially when they got a look at the children.

"Heya guys, it's been a while," said Terriermon. "As much as it's great to see you, care to fill me in on where we're having this reunion?"

"Did something happen to us?" asked Lopmon shyly.

Daichi chuckled; "looks like we have a bit of explaining to do.

* * *

Queenmon and the Royal Knights had reconvened in the same room as before. They were also accompanied by a few Knightmon as well as some other Digimon. They all seemed to be agitated, and there was heavy tension in the air. No one had spoken yet, as they seemed afraid to say what they had all been thinking. It was Duftmon who finally broke the silence.

"As you are all aware, we sent three envoys to the Human World in search of the so called 'Children of Virtue'. It has been two days, and we have heard nothing from them. They were supposed to communicate with us every few hours, and yet they have not. We can only take this to mean that they have been destroyed, or have turned against us."

"I am afraid that Duftmon is correct," continued Craniamon. "Since we have no had contact from them, we should assume they have been lost to us. In either case, it is quite clear now that the human's intentions towards us are indeed foul in nature."

Queenmon was the next to speak. "If that is so, then what measures do you suggest we take?"

"I think it would be best if we took a more aggressive approach to dealing with the humans," stated Dynasmon. "At the very least, we need to apprehend the Children of Virtue and their collaborators."

"If this is indeed the path we shall be taking, then I can have a company ready on the morrow," stated Duftmon.

Queenmon hesitated for a moment. "…Very Well."

**Author's Notes: **Uh oh, looks like things are about to get out of hand very quickly. At least the kids got a couple of their old friends out of the way first. However; without the help of the Wizards or the Sacred Weapons, will the children be able to face what Queenmon throws at them?


	10. Invasion

Chapter 9: The Invasion

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

It had been three days since the incident in the park with Rapidmon and Antylamon. Obviously, the damage done to the park had not gone unnoticed. Fortunately; since the children had managed to leave before anyone else arrived, they had been able to avoid any difficult situations. They had found out on the news the following day that the police had chalked the damage up to vandalism, but had no leads about suspects.

Lopmon and Terriermon had been taken in by Ayame and Seiichi, since their purification had left them with no memories about how they had come to the human world. Fortunately there had been plenty of room for them along with Lunamon and Coronamon in the old dojo building. The only other significant change over the past few days was that Daichi had returned home at the request of his parents. Thankfully; he had managed to sneak Dracomon into his room while his parents were at work during the day.

Ren was having a hard time keeping Commandramon hidden. His home was small, so there weren't many hiding places. Every time Ren's parents came close to finding Commandramon, Ren would strike up a conversation with them while Commandramon moved to a new hiding place. He was most recently housed in a tool shed in their back yard.

Ren had only just pulled himself out of bed that morning when he was alerted by a beeping from his Digivice. Hoping it was contact from Wisemon and Magimon, he hurriedly pulled it out of his nightstand drawer. Instead of finding a message; he saw a screen similar to the one that had shown the presence of Antylamon and Rapidmon.

At first, the signal he saw confused him. Either it was showing a single, very large signal, or a bunch of smaller signals grouped together. If they were a bunch of smaller signals, then it couldn't possibly have been the other Children of Virtue grouped together, as there were far too many of them. Ren was pulled away from his Digivice by his cell phone ringing. He saw Daichi's number and answered, and was met with a rather frantic voice; even for him.

"We have a big problem!" Daichi was almost shouting. "Turn on your nearest TV; channel seven."

Since Ren didn't have a TV in his room, he ran downstairs to his family's living room. He flicked on the television there, and was met with a disturbing image. Although the footage was fuzzy and blurred, Ren was still able to recognize what he saw: Digimon. From what he could tell, there were a large number of them. The skyscrapers in the background indicated that they were somewhere in the city.

Ren was also able to recognize the type of Digimon depicted, as he had encountered them before in the Digital World's City. They had humanoid upper bodies on top of tank-like treads. Attached to their arms and heads were large cannon barrels, as well as tough armour plating. They were known as Tankmon. Ren let the arm holding his phone drop to his side as the newscast switched back to the anchorman.

_"Again, these are only preliminary reports, but it seems that Tokyo is the victim of a moderately scaled invasion. These tank like machines seem to have entered the city sometime between last night at one AM, and this morning at ten AM. Thus far we are not sure of their intentions, and they have made no aggressive movements aside from their presence itself. From what we have been told; Civil Defense officers have set up a perimeter around the occupied areas, and have begun an evacuation of all areas within five miles of the affected area. Unfortunately we lost our feed to our reporter a while ago, and have no further updates at this time. Please stay tuned for when we have more information."_

Ren was dumbfounded by the report, and found himself staring blankly for a few moments. He was brought back to reality by Daichi's voice coming through his phone. He brought the phone back up to his ear and stammered into it.

"This can't be happening."

"Unfortunately, it is," replied Daichi. "Queenmon seems to have stepped things up in her attempts at apprehending us."

"So what are we going to do about it?"

"Stop them, obviously. We've already contacted the others and are on our way downtown. Coredramon and I are halfway there already."

"What about the police blockades? Also, we could be seen if we interfere now."

"This is hardly the time to worry about little things like that. We have to send these guys packing before they hurt anyone."

"Alright; I'll join you as soon as I can."

"See you downtown."

Ren hung up his phone and hurried back to his room. He hastily changed out of his pajamas and threw on whatever he could grab quickly. He then bolted back down the stairs and into the back yard. He threw open the door to the tool shed, where Commandramon was waiting for him.

"Come on," barked Ren, "we have to go now."

"I thought as much; I felt the presence of other Digimon. Are they nearby?"

"No, they're inside the city. There's a lot more of them this time though."

"Then we'd better not waste any time meeting up with the others."

"Right, let's go."

* * *

The group of civil defense officers had just finished setting up a roadblock when the Tankmon army began rolling past them. Under the direction of their sergeant, they formed a line along the street at the nearest intersection. They were armed with heavy shotguns, but weren't sure if it would be enough. They were relieved that the Tankmon didn't seem to notice them.

The sergeant held the other officers back as the procession passed them by. They didn't seem interested in the few officers that were there. The sergeant looked away from the army when he heard a shotgun discharge. He saw the barrel of one of his men's shotguns smoking. The hands that held it were shaking, and had evidently fired upon being startled by the Tankmon.

At first it seemed as though nothing would come of it, but then one of the Tankmon broke away from formation. It was followed by two others as the rest passed by. The leading Tankmon had a few dents in its shoulder armour, indicating that it had been the one struck by the shotgun shell.

The Tankmon stopped a few meters away, and the sergeant ordered his men to back up. While they were doing so, the sergeant heard a voice call out 'Hyper Cannon'. Shortly after that declaration, an explosion rocked the ground a few feet away from the officers. Many of them were thrown back, including the sergeant. When he looked up, he saw the Tankmon drawing closer. He attempted to get to his feet, but had trouble finding balance. Just before the Tankmon was on top of him, he observed the form of Sealsdramon jumping in between it and him.

"If you don't want to get hurt, I suggest you get out of here," he ordered.

"Who are you; this is a restricted zone."

Before Sealsdramon answered, the sergeant watched him whip out a knife and drive it into the head of the Tankmon. He was dumbfounded as he watched it burst into thousands of tiny pieces and disappear.

"Are you from the government special operations or something?"

"If I am, will you get your men out of here?"

The sergeant didn't want to take his chances with the newcomer, so he quickly gathered together his men that were still standing. They hurriedly picked up the ones who had been knocked unconscious and started moving away from the fight. As the sergeant looked back, he witnessed Sealsdramon decimate the other two Tankmon, and thought the explosion had knocked him silly. He also thought he saw a kid standing next to Sealsdramon, but chalked it up to a concussion and resumed his retreat.

"Looks like we got here just in time," remarked Sealsdramon.

"Yeah, but this is just the beginning," replied Ren. "We still need to get a hold of the others and find out exactly what we're dealing with."

As if on cue, Ren's cell phone went off in his pocket. He answered it and was met with Daichi's voice.

"Glad you could make it," he said. "Now look up."

Ren did as Daichi said, and was met with a view of Wingdramon. Wingdramon was the Ultimate form of Coredramon, Daichi's partner. He looked much the same as Coredramon, but had a much larger wingspan. He also had a longer tail and bits of metal armour covering his face and chest, as well as a jet engine between his wings. The great blue dragon set down close to Ren, and then Daichi leapt down from his shoulders.

"Do you really think it was necessary to evolve to Ultimate?" asked Ren.

"I'm not entirely sure, but I figured it would help level the playing field since they have a lot bigger numbers than we do."

"I know you said you weren't concerned about it, but I still think trying to keep a bit of a low profile would have been a good idea."

"Well; what about you?"

"We got lucky. Sealsdramon stepped in to save some police officers and they thought he was some kind of super soldier. I managed to slip in while they were retreating. Now; care to fill me in on what we're doing?"

"Sure thing; Ayame, Seiichi, Crescemon and Flaremon are at the west end of downtown. Evan came in through the sewers with Seadramon and joined Hanae and Cerberumon at the east end. Kioko was flying overhead on Hippogryphomon and scouting things out for us. I was about to head to the north end, but I figured I'd stop by and tell you what was going on first."

"Did you come up with this plan?"

"Yeah right; this was Seiichi's planning skills at work."

"What about Takeshi; you didn't mention him."

"Oh yeah, he's with the twins. For some reason, Impmon couldn't evolve any further. He's backing them up right now."

"I wonder why Impmon can't evolve."

"Yeah, we were all concerned about that. Unfortunately, we didn't have time to delve into it, as you can imagine. Anyways, Kioko will keep us up to date on their movements while we take them out. You stay here in the south end unless someone else calls for your help."

"Gotcha; best of luck."

"Who needs luck when you have this kind of strength," boasted Wingdramon.

Daichi chuckled and climbed onto his partner's back. Ren watched as they took off, before turning back to Sealsdramon.

"What do you think; want to evolve to Ultimate like the others?"

"I think we should save that for when we need it. I don't think it would be a good idea to exhaust myself early on."

"Good point. Now; let's get to work."

Ren and Sealsdramon decided to start off by following the patrol of Tankmon that had passed by the officers they had rescued. When they first caught up to them, they were completely ignored. Sealsdramon took advantage of that to take out several Tankmon before they could even notice. It became a lot more difficult after that, as the Tankmon simultaneously turned around and converged on Sealsdramon.

Ren ducked inside a nearby building in order to have some cover from the battle outside. As he looked on, he saw all of the Tankmon fire on Sealsdramon at once. He was relieved to see his partner leap clear of the blasts just before they impacted. He wove himself in and out of the Tankmon, causing some of them to fire on each other. Using that to his advantage, Sealsdramon managed to avoid exerting too much effort in destroying the remaining Tankmon.

Each time they finished with one patrol, they moved on to the next. Ren continued watching from the cover of buildings while Sealsdramon fought them off. He wasn't sure how much time passed, but they managed to take out four whole patrols of Tankmon. Before they went any further, Ren decided to contact Kioko and see how the others were doing. He called her cell phone and waited for her to reply.

"This is Kioko; who's calling?"

"It's Ren," he replied. "Sealsdramon managed to clear out four patrols, and we wanted to check in on the others."

"Daichi had an easy time clearing out the north end with Wingdramon, so now he's gone to help Hanae and Evan, since they were having mobility problems. Apparently Seadramon didn't like having to move through the sewers. Unfortunately, it was the easiest way for them to get around outside a large body of water."

"What about the twins?"

"They're doing alright, but were going a little slower to make sure they kept Takeshi and Impmon safe. Hey, I just noticed that we're not far from you."

"Do you want to meet up with me and help clear out the rest of the Tankmon in this area?"

"I suppose I could do that… wait, there's something else here. I think our problems just got a lot bigger."

Before Ren could ask Kioko to clarify what she meant, the call got cut off. He ran outside with Sealsdramon to see if they could spot her. Ren didn't see anything just yet, but then he felt it. It was barely noticeable at first, but it grew stronger each time. The ground was shaking beneath his feet at regular intervals. Soon Ren was able to make out loud crunching noises that accompanied the tremors.

Before he could figure out where the noise was coming from; Ren saw a blurred streak of pure white pass by on the street ahead. He managed to see that it was Hippogryphomon. The great, white eagle Digimon was carrying Kioko away from whatever was responsible for making the noise.

The first thing he saw after that was a shadow. The shadow was large, and covered the width of the street. As it moved forward, the crunching noises and tremors followed it. Ren looked up, and managed to catch a glimpse of the shadow's owner. Its head was peering around the corner, and was about forty feet up in the air. At first Ren thought it was a dragon, but the glint of light against its metal skin told him it was a machine.

The massive machine Digimon rounded the corner and turned towards Ren. Its body was completely mechanical, with no traces of anything else visible. Its left arm ended in three straight, sharp looking claws, while its right looked like a three part pincer covering a cannon barrel. It had a short tail located above its legs, upon which it was hunched over. It also had two massive cannons attached to its back.

The machine stopped to observe Ren and Sealsdramon momentarily, giving him an opportunity to pull out his Digivice. It brought up an image of the Digimon and listed it as 'Machinedramon', 'Virus' and 'Mega' with 'Giga Cannon'. Ren was not pleased to see the word 'Mega', as it meant this Digimon was an evolutionary step above Wingdramon and the other Ultimates.

Ren thought the machine was just going to keep staring at him, but then it spoke. Its voice was loud, gruff and metallic. "You are one of the human children I seek. It seems that you and the others have been causing trouble for my army. I suppose that's my fault for bringing a bunch of stupid drones though."

While Machinedramon was talking, Kioko arrived on Hippogryphomon. She dismounted her partner and walked up to Ren.

"Did you find out who that is yet?"

"Unfortunately; we're dealing with a Mega level here."

"I thought as much. The others are on their way, and I suggest you evolve Sealsdramon to Ultimate before we engage him."

Ren nodded and held up his Digivice. He aimed the port at Sealsdramon and called out 'Evolution Limit…BREAK!' A stream of bright green light shot from the port and engulfed Sealsdramon in a sphere of the same colour. 'SEALSDRAMON SUPER EVOLUTION…TANKDRAMON!'

Tankdramon was built similar to the Tankmon, but he was a fair bit larger. On top of his treads, his upper body was draconic as opposed to humanoid. His hands had been replaced by metal gauntlets that bore three sharp spikes on the end. All over his body, various gun barrels and turrets were sticking out, including two larger barrels and two with triple rotary gattling turrets.

Shortly after Tankdramon's evolution, Ren's attention was drawn to a nearby manhole cover. It burst open and a long, snakelike figure slithered up through it. The figured bore a resemblance to Seadramon, but his scales were red instead of green. He also had a gold coloured helmet with a silver spike covering his face. Ren recognized this as Megaseadramon; the Ultimate form of Seadramon. He watched as Evan climbed up his partner's body and stepped on to the street.

"Sorry about making you travel through the sewers," said Evan apologetically.

"It's no big deal, so long as I can get a bath later," replied the great serpent.

"Glad to see you guys, but wasn't Hanae with you?"

"She's right over there," said Evan, gesturing towards Machinedramon.

The other two looked towards the giant machine and saw Cerberumon dashing underneath his legs. He skidded to a halt once he reached them, allowing Hanae to dismount. Before she could say anything, a loud whirring caught their attention. They looked up to see Wingdramon descending towards them. In his hands he was carrying Crescemon and Flaremon. When he landed he put the other two Digimon down, while Daichi, Takeshi, Impmon, Ayame and Seiichi climbed down from his back.

"Great," called Daichi, "now that we're all here, let's waste this over sized tin can."

"That might not be so easy," remarked Ren. "He is a Mega level after all. Remember how badly we got beaten before when we tried fighting opponents at a higher level?"

"We still have to give it a shot," called Wingdramon. "If we don't, you and your world will be in danger."

"Alright, but be careful."

With that, the seven Ultimate Digimon charged towards Machinedramon. They stopped when they were a few hundred feet away from the children and stared down the giant machine Digimon. Machinedramon seemed to be staring back at them, but his mechanical face bore no expression.

"I advise you to surrender immediately," it declared. "Queenmon may yet show mercy to you, but I won't be so considerate if you choose to oppose me."

Without responding to him, the children's Digimon began to attack. Wingdramon roared 'Sonic Blaze', discharging a massive stream of blue flames from his mouth. The flames were accompanied by a loud bang, indicating the accompanying shockwave had broken the sound barrier. Hippogryphomon yelled 'Sonic Boom', and flapped her wings to generate a shockwave of her own.

Electricity sparked around Megaseadramon's horn as he called out 'Thunder Javelin'. A massive bolt of blue lightning discharged from his horn after the declaration. Tankdramon turned all of his barrels towards Machinedramon and declared 'Full Assault Barrage'. All manner of gunfire and missiles launched from him in short, steady bursts. Cerberumon, Flaremon and Crescemon also launched their attacks together.

All of the attacks converged on Machinedramon together, resulting in a massive explosion. In the wake of that explosion, several of the surrounding buildings were damaged. The children waited for the smoke to clear, but were shocked when they saw the result of their attacks. Machinedramon seemed to be completely unharmed. He was staring them down with the same blank expression as before.

"I warned you not to oppose me. Now you shall pay the price."

The cannons on Machinedramon's back began to glow as they became charged with energy. He called out 'Giga Cannon', before discharging several massive blasts from each barrel. The blasts fell upon the children's Digimon with brutal force. The children's Digimon were thrown clear of the blast, landing back near the children. They had survived, but every one of them had reverted to their rookie forms.

The children ran towards their fallen partners and crouched next to them. Machinedramon towered over them, preparing to launch another assault. Before he could, a bright light appeared on the ground beneath the children. The light took the form of a magic seal, and enveloped the group within a sphere of energy. The light disappeared as quickly as it had come, and took the children with it.

**Author's Notes: **And thus; the war between the human and Digital Worlds has begun. The children seem to have been saved this time, but by whom (as if it wasn't obvious)?


	11. The Wizards Return

Chapter 10: The Wizards Return

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

Before the children and their partners realized what was happening, they had been whisked away by the sphere of light. When the light faded, the children rematerialized a few feet above the ground, causing them to fall in a heap. They slowly got to their feet and observed their surroundings. They were inside a large, empty building, which seemed to be a warehouse. Evan pointed out to the group that several warehouses like this one existed along Tokyo's waterfront.

"We apologize for the rough removal, but we felt it was necessary to protect you."

Looking towards the sound of the voice, the children saw the form of Wisemon standing a short distance away from them. Standing next to him of course was Magimon. Upon seeing the two of them, feelings of relief fell over the group.

"Hey guys," exclaimed Daichi, "are we ever glad to see you. I have to ask though; what took you so long?"

"Again we must apologize," replied Wisemon. "Something unforeseen occurred and we were unable to reach you until now."

Magimon picked up his brother's speech. "As you know, shortly after you returned to this world, Queenmon sent some of her servants to pursue you. Normally when the gate is opened between our two worlds, the connection is severed as soon as the gate is shut. However; Queenmon did not sever the connection between our worlds after sending her servants across, causing our worlds to become linked. This link caused the time difference between our worlds to be all but negated."

"So in other words," began Seiichi, "the time that passed here is the same as the time that passed there?"

"That is correct, and we did not realize it until we tried to cross over. Fortunately we were able to arrive in time to save you."

"That's all well and good," remarked Ayame, "but we still have a problem. Machinedramon is a Mega level Digimon and we don't have the strength to fight him right now."

"Then we have some good news for you. As we promised, we have obtained the sacred weapons for you. With them, your partners shall regain the ability to reach their Mega forms."

The faces of the partner Digimon lit up at this news. They were all very pleased to hear that they could regain their former strength. The wizards stepped back from the children and held out their hands, which again became bathed in magical light. More magic seals appeared on the ground in front of the children. One of them appeared in front of each pair of partners; eight in total.

Within each of these eight magic seals, something began to materialize. They were in various sizes and shapes, but all had an aura of power around them. These were the sacred weapons; the very same weapons the children had used to defeat the Demon Lords three years prior. The only exception was the weapon in front of Takeshi, which they hadn't seen before because Takeshi's former partner hadn't carried one.

The weapon in front of Daichi and Dracomon was an enormous lance. It had a two pronged tip at the end of its length. At the base of the lance was what appeared to be a large turbine. This weapon was called 'Ambrosius', and it was surrounded by a bright blue aura. Daichi held his Digivice out, which shot a stream of blue light at the weapon. The light drew upon the weapon, storing it inside the Digivice.

Ren and Commandramon stepped towards their weapon. At first it also appeared to be a lance, but its tip consisted of three jointed, yet unconnected prongs, which opened up into a claw. The claw was connected to a shield and handgrip that could be placed on the upper arm. This was 'Gliepnir', and it was surrounded by a deep green aura. Ren stored this weapon in his Digivice the same way Daichi had.

The weapon belonging to Seiichi and Coronamon was the simplest of the lot. It was simply a long pole; a fighting staff. The shaft was red and had a golden tip on each end. This was 'Sol', the rod of the sun, and bore an orange aura like a wreath of flames. Like the others, Seiichi stored his weapon in his Digivice.

Ayame and Lunamon had a weapon very similar to that of their twins. This weapon was for the most part a pole as well. Instead of the blunt tips on Sol, this weapon bore a crescent shaped blade on either end. This weapon was 'Luna'; the moon sickle, and had a pink aura like pale twilight. Ayame also stored her weapon in her Digivice.

The weapon before Hanae and Labramon was also fairly simple. It consisted of three metal claws, similar to the ones Cerberumon had on his paws. The claws were attached to a gauntlet that bore a diamond shaped amulet on the underside. This weapon was called 'Amemit', and was surrounded by a shimmering golden aura. Like the others before her, Hanae drew the weapon into her Digivice.

The weapon in front of Kioko and Elecmon was the next largest after 'Ambrosius'. It was a massive sword with a broad triangular blade. Engraved on the blade was the image of intertwining white and black snakes. This sword was known as 'Gladius', and its aura was a deep purple colour.

The item in front of Evan and Betamon didn't look as much like a weapon as the others did. It was a large, gold coloured ring with sharp spikes running along the outside edge. On opposite sides of the ring was a pair of blades shaped like fins. Seadramon had not been able to read the weapon's name when he first donned it, but the wizards had later told him it was called 'Umius'. Its aura was bright red, and Evan stored it the same way the others had.

The weapons in front of Takeshi and Impmon received the most attention, since no one in the group had ever seen them before. It was a pair of identical weapons, taking the form of handheld, twin barrel shotguns. They were surrounded by an aura that was black, yet remained translucent. Takeshi looked at the guns, unsure of what to do with them.

As Ren looked at the guns, he couldn't help but feel that he had seen them somewhere before. However; he was unable to recall exactly why they seemed familiar. He let the thoughts linger in the back of his mind, but didn't say anything to the other members of the group.

Daichi was the first to make a remark about the new weapons. "I've never seen those before."

Seiichi turned to the wizards, looking for an answer. "I thought there were only seven sacred weapons. If that's still true, then where did those come from?"

Wisemon was the one to provide the answers the children sought. "It is true that the sacred weapons are only seven in number, since each one was created by one of the 'Benevolent Masters'. The weapons in front of Takeshi and his partner are different from the others. Despite this, we can say for sure that they have the power to unlock his mega form. However; there is something you should be cautious of."

Magimon continued where his brother left off. "Although the sacred weapons are powerful, the challenges ahead of you will still be immensely difficult."

"How bad can it be?" remarked Ayame unabashedly. "After all, we did defeat the Demon Lords before."

"That is true, but you are facing enemies that are much different from those you conquered before. The Royal Knights are not evil Digimon by nature, and thusly the power of your virtues will not be able to weaken them like they did to the Demon Lords. Not only that, but they are all skilled and experienced warriors, and will be a more difficult challenge for those reasons."

Ren noticed that the wizards had not mentioned the name of Takeshi's weapon, or anything else about it for that matter. He chose now to bring his curiosity forward. "Pardon me, but you didn't really explain Takeshi's weapon much. If it's not one of the Sacred Weapons; how is it going to allow him to reach Mega?"

"Ah forgive me; I suppose I did not make that clear. These weapons are called 'Beren Hena', and it is true that they were not forged the same way as the Sacred Weapons. We do not actually know much about where they came from, or who created them. We do know however that they once belonged to a very powerful Digimon."

"Whilst we were inspecting the things that Shakkoumon had left behind, we came across a journal. This journal contained a note in the front, which stated that he had meant for the two of us to find it. In this journal he had written that he knew another danger would face our world, and an additional power would be required to fight against it."

"He also wrote about this eighth weapon, and that it held powers rivaling those of the Sacred Weapons. He did not include any information about their origins or the identity of their previous owner, only telling us where to find them once they were needed. We believe he had his reasons for secrecy, and chose to respect them."

Ren was a little disappointed not to receive the answers he had been looking for. However; since the wizards didn't know anything either, he figured it wouldn't do to keep pestering them about it. He didn't say anything else about it, and instead looked to Takeshi and Impmon. The rest of the group seemed to be looking at the two of them as well, curious about their reaction to the new weapon.

Takeshi hadn't used a weapon to evolve his partner to Mega the first time, so he wasn't sure what to do with the one he had been given. He had seen the other children withdraw the weapons into their Digivices, but he wasn't sure how they had accomplished it.

Impmon on the other hand, felt a strange compulsion coming from the weapon. A feeling at the back of his mind that he couldn't resist caused him to walk towards the guns. He reached towards the weapons, but suddenly something flashed through his mind. They seemed to be memories, but Impmon was certain they didn't belong to him. The images were of a black winged angel, a dying warrior in black armour, and a hand being offered to him by a regal looking demon.

Impmon couldn't get the visions out of his mind, and clutched at his head firmly. He began to breathe unevenly and pant heavily. The others noticed his dismay, but Takeshi was the only one to approach him. As soon as he did; Impmon began to yell loudly, his tone indicating extreme distress. Before anyone could stop him, Impmon had run out of the warehouse, still clutching his head and screaming. Takeshi quickly gathered up the guns in his arms and chased after his partner.

Daichi quickly turned to the others. "I don't know what that was about; but something was definitely wrong with Impmon. I'm going after them and finding out what's up. I hope you don't mind if I leave Machinedramon to the rest of you." After that Daichi and Dracomon proceeded to run out of the warehouse as well.

The other children moved to follow after Daichi and Takeshi, but the wizards stepped in front of them.

"Before you all go gallivanting off," began Wisemon, "there is something else we wished to tell you."

"Make it quick," snapped Ayame. "Two of our friends just ran off and we still have a giant mechanical monstrosity running around downtown."

"Of course," stated Magimon. "We wanted to share with you a revelation we had about Queenmon's control, with a little help from Renamon. It seems that the data the makes up her body is somewhat unstable. Due to this fact, whenever she comes into contact with another Digimon part of her data is transferred to them. This portion of data interferes with the Digimon's own data, causing Queenmon's will to be imprinted on the afflicted Digimon."

"The energy from your new Digivices seems to purify and remove this data, thusly releasing the Digimon from Queenmon's control. Based on the fact that your partners could not be controlled by her in the first place, we believe that this same energy creates a sort of vaccine. This of course means that once a Digimon has been purified; Queenmon will be unable to control them again."

"That reminds me," piped in Seiichi. "While we were here, we were attacked by several of Queenmon's subordinates. We were able to purify two of them, and they are currently taking shelter in our home. Due to the memory loss of the time they were under Queenmon's control, they did not remember how to return to the Digital World."

"Then we shall take them with us when we return. We shall place them under our protection, as we did with Renamon when you purified her."

"Also; we won't be needing directions. We can sense the presence of other Digimon, and since there aren't many in this world, they should be easy to find."

"Fair enough, and thank you."

"Hey guys," called Evan. He was standing near the warehouse exit with Hanae, Labramon and Betamon. "We're going to split up and look for Daichi and Takeshi. With both of us looking it'll be easier to find them."

"I don't think you'll have any trouble with Machinedramon," added Hanae. "Especially since it's four on one."

With that, the four of them ran out of the warehouse together. Evan and Betamon went one way while Hanae and Labramon went in a different direction. The rest of the group turned back towards the wizards, whose hands were once again glowing with magical light.

"We figured you would want to get back to the city as soon as possible to put a stop to Machinedramon. If you have no objections, we shall transport you back there immediately."

The children nodded their agreement, as did their Digimon partners. The wizards gestured towards them, causing a seal to once again form beneath them. The seal lit up with a bright light which dissipated quickly. After it faded, the children had disappeared. Shortly after that, the wizards repeated the process on themselves; going off to finish their other tasks.

* * *

Upon their rematerialization, the group noticed a rather drastic change to the city. All around them, massive cables were strewn about, weaving in and out of nearby buildings. The partner Digimon were quick to realize that the cables were made of data, and not of any earthly material. Although they weren't sure of the exact reason, they all immediately came to the conclusion that Machinedramon was up to something.

"So, do we deal with the cables first or go after Machinedramon?" asked Seiichi, seeking the opinions of the others.

"We don't really know what these cables are doing," replied Ren. "I imagine we should sever them first, and then follow the remnants back to Machinedramon."

Upon hearing his partners, opinion, Commandramon immediately walked over to the nearest cable. A small knife popped out of his gauntlet, which he then attempted to use to cut through the cable. After a minute of vain scratching, he found that his knife was unable to cut through the cable. Coronamon and Elecmon attempted to blast the cables, but again to no avail.

"I think we might need a bit more firepower to break these things," stated Coronamon.

"Fortunately," cut in Ren, "that's something we can now provide."

Ren then held out his Digivice and pressed the third button, causing Gliepnir to emerge from it. Commandramon grabbed hold of the weapon and was immediately bathed in a bright green light. 'COMMANDRAMON WARP EVOLUTION; DARKDRAMON'! When the light dimmed, Commandramon had been replaced by his Mega level form; Darkdramon.

Darkdramon was a few inches taller than Sealsdramon, and a lot more intimidating. Gliepnir was coupled to his right arm, the claw positioned above his wrist with the small shield next to his shoulder. The rest of his body was covered in dark green armour with stripes of red and yellow. On his back were a set of four tendrils that crackled with energy, outlining the shape of a set of wings. His left gauntlet bore a seam that opened up to reveal a sizeable cannon barrel.

Darkdramon aimed this barrel at one of the cables and called out 'Lightning Cannon'. The cannon on his left arm discharged a massive blast of electrical energy. When this blast connected with the cable, there was a small explosion, and the sound of energy crackling. When the dust cleared, the cable had indeed been broken, and seemed to be slowly dissolving into its component data.

Darkdramon turned back to face the others. "Well; looks like that worked. We should hurry up and clear the rest of them out."

The other children nodded to Ren and Darkdramon, and brought out their own Digivices. They all pressed the buttons to release the weapons, which then materialized next to their respective partners. The three remaining Rookie Digimon grabbed hold of their respective weapons, and called out their Warp Evolutions. Coronamon, Lunamon and Elecmon respectively evolved into Apollomon, Dianamon, and Minervamon.

Apollomon and Dianamon were much more human like than their previous forms, although they still bore some animalistic traits. Both their bodies were covered in ornate armour, his orange and red in colour and hers blue and white. Apollomon's Sol rod was compacted and clipped to his waist, while Dianamon's Luna scythe was strapped to her back. Apollomon's most striking features were the flaming jewels on his wrists, and the large fireball ornament on his back. Dianamon bore leggings that looked like crescent moons with faces, and shoulder spikes also shaped like crescent moons.

Minervamon had retained a humanoid form similar to the one possessed by D'arcmon. The exception was that she had no wings. Her right hand bore a gauntlet that looks like the maw of a snake, while her helm bore the design of a winged serpent. Her hair was a vivid blue colour, and fell to her waist in a pair of braided pigtails. Gladius was clutched in her right hand while her left held a shield bearing a large spike in the center. A loose skirt hung about her waist, which also seemed to hold a pattern of snake scales.

The four new Mega Digimon began furiously attacking the cables that were strewn about. Minervamon and Dianamon used their bladed weapons to sever the cables, while Apollomon and Darkdramon destroyed the remnants with their blasts of fire and lightning. After a while the cables began to shake, and familiar thunderous footsteps fell upon the group. The last few cables were yanked away just as Machinedramon's shadow became visible. His head appeared around the corner and spoke to the group.

"So you have returned," he stated blandly. "Have you come to your senses enough to surrender?"

"Hardly," retorted Apollomon. "We came back to give you a serious beating!"

"What couple you have possibly gained in the past hour to allow you power enough to defeat me?"

"This!" yelled Darkdramon, brandishing Gliepnir.  
Darkdramon shot the claw of Gliepnir towards Machinedramon, calling out 'Cyber Strike' as he did. The claw opened and caught Machinedramon square in the chest. A pulse of electricity surged along the cable connecting the claw to Darkdramon's arm before connecting with Machinedramon, sending the surge pulsing through its body. Machinedramon howled furiously, discovering that the electric pulse had damaged a large number of its circuits.

Darkdramon then discharged a blast from his cannon into Machinedramon's left leg, and gave a tug on Gliepnir's cable, but Machinedramon attempted to pull back. Darkdramon then blasted the other knee and gave another tug, bringing the mechanical behemoth to its knees. Machinedramon aimed his cannons towards Darkdramon and attempted to fire. Due to the electric pulse from before, the cannons crackled and backfired, causing the left one to explode.

Minervamon ran a hand along her blade, which began to glow with a bright purple light. At the same time, Dianamon began to twirl Luna in her hands, until its form became blurred. Minervamon called out 'Olympus Slash' and swung her blade forcibly, causing a crescent shaped blade of energy to fly off towards Machinedramon. Dianamon also yelled 'Crescent Harken' as she threw her spinning weapon at the foe.

The two blades connected with Machinedramon at his shoulders, separating his arms from his torso. The two large appendages fell to the ground with a resounding crash, before dissolving into masses of data. At that time, Apollomon wreathed his right fist in white hot flames and leapt at Machinedramon. He flew above the titan's head and called out 'Phoebus Blow', delivering an intense punch to the top of its head. Machinedramon howled painfully and fell forward. The Digimon grabbed their partners and leapt clear as the massive machine crashed to the ground.

As his body began to dissolve, Machinedramon let out a weakened mutter. "You have only weakened your case against her majesty Queenmon. Be warned, as you may not yet receive another chance at surrender. The Royal Knights are far more powerful than I, and will be your undoing."

As Machinedramon finished, the rest of its body dissolved into data and dispersed. The four children and their partners gathered in the center of the road and observed the damage. The rest of the cables had dissolved along with Machinedramon. Aside from the craters where it and its arms had landed, the road was undamaged. They weren't able to gauge the entire city, but at least in the immediate area the buildings were undamaged.

"Alright then," called Seiichi. "Let's get out of here before anyone else comes to investigate. I'd hate to get caught trying to explain any of this."

The children and Digimon nodded their agreement, and then began running towards the edge of the city.

**Author's Notes: **Well; that's one big problem out of the way. Unfortunately they're going to have to content with no less than nine more. Hopefully they have enough fight in them to contend with the Royal Knights; otherwise the human world is in big trouble.


	12. Confrontations

Chapter 11: Confrontations

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

Daichi wasn't sure how long he had been following after Takeshi, but he had lost track of him at least ten minutes before. Dracomon was still able to pick up Impmon's scent, but it seemed to be all over the place, as though he had been running around in circles. Daichi and Dracomon finally stopped at the edge of the freight yard after emerging from the literal labyrinth of crates and boxes. Wherever Takeshi and Impmon had gone off to, they were a fair distance away now.

"Man, I would never have pegged those two for being this fast," remarked Daichi.

"Impmon certainly seemed fast when he ran out of the warehouse in the first place," replied Dracomon.

"I didn't exactly mean that literally. Either way, I wonder what exactly was wrong with Impmon. He never struck me as the type to have that kind of freak out. As a matter of fact, he was often quite snarky."

"Well; whatever it was, it seemed to have been triggered when he saw the weapon that the wizards had gotten for him. Maybe he recognized them from somewhere, or had a bad memory associated with them."

"Wait, how could he have a memory of those weapons? We've never encountered them before, and Impmon has lived out his entire life in front of us."

"Maybe it's a lingering experience from a past life then?"

"I know you Digimon get reformatted when you die, but do you actually retain memories from the previous life when that happens?"

"I'm not sure actually, although that's because I've never died. Then again, maybe I have died and just don't remember it."

Daichi snickered at the bizarre nature of his partner's comments. He then, in a spurt of rational thinking, plucked his cell phone from his pocket. He pulled up Takeshi's cell number and attempted to call him. Unfortunately, there was nothing but static coming from his earpiece. He looked at the display and saw that his phone wasn't receiving any kind of signal. He sighed and tucked his phone away. Dracomon had observed Daichi doing this silently, and had an idea of his own.

"Do you think maybe you can find Takeshi with your Digivice?" proposed Dracomon. "As I recall, they were able to pick up each others signals before when we were in the Digital World."

Daichi smacked himself in the forehead for not thinking of that before. He plucked his Digivice from his pocket and began looking it over. His position was indicated on the screen, and there was one other signal nearby. Since all the signals appeared as blinking dots, he was unsure whether or not that signal was Takeshi and Impmon. The same signals had also shown up when there were other Digimon nearby in the Human World, so it was just as likely to be one of Queenmon's servants.

Daichi was interrupted from his thoughts by growling from Dracomon. "There's another Digimon here," he said gruffly. "It's not one of our friends either."

As soon as Dracomon had spoken, the two of them heard footsteps coming up behind them. They both turned on the spot in time to see an eight foot tall silhouette walking towards them between two lanes of boxes. The outline appeared humanoid, although what appeared to be a cape fluttered about him. When he emerged from the maze of crates, Dracomon instantly recognized him.

"This isn't good Daichi," he remarked. "That's Gallantmon; one of the Royal Knights!"

"Seriously," exclaimed Daichi, "why do these guys always show up at the worst possible time?"

"The interpretation of the timing of an event is subjective," stated the Knight. "What makes you think that this time is unsuitable for my presence?"

"Well; seeing as how we just got trounced on by one of Queenmon's other subordinates, and are now separated from out friends, I don't see how this could be any worse for us."

"Perhaps; but that only holds true if I had come here with the intent to fight." Gallantmon then raised his arms to show that he was carrying no weapons. "My name is Gallantmon the Wise, and I have come here to speak with you, Daichi. From what I know of your group's previous endeavors, you often seem to take on the role of leadership, which is why I chose to speak with you instead of any of the others."

"I'm not sure we really have anything to talk about," retorted Daichi, "seeing as how your sovereign decided to launch a huge invasion force into our world."

Gallantmon hung his head and sighed. "I am aware of this action, but I would assure you that I was opposed to it. It was Duftmon the Swift who proposed it, against the recommendation of the elder knights. He has always been a drastic one in his methods."

"Be that as it may," cut in Dracomon, "we're still on opposite sides right now. What exactly do you want to talk to us about?"

"I wished to inform you that, with the invasion force quelled, the other knights, as well as Queenmon herself, will be coming here. I came with the invasion force to observe this world, and I have found that it is generally peaceful. I do not wish for this world to be enveloped in an unnecessary war, so I thought I would take it upon myself to try and prevent that."

"What exactly did you have in mind?"

"It is quite simple really; I want you to hand over that device you possess." As he spoke, Gallantmon pointed an armoured finger at Daichi's hand, which presently held his Digivice. "From what I have deduced, those devices give you the power to control us Digimon. Once those devices have been destroyed, any threat you pose shall have been neutralized."

"You have got to be kidding me," yelled Daichi. "There's no way I'm handing over my Digivice. Besides, you've got it all wrong. These were given to us by Seraphimon of the Benevolent Masters to symbolize our partnership with the Digimon."

"I don't know how you know of Seraphimon, but there are no records of him interacting with humans before his death. That you would tarnish his name with such a claim is despicable. I shall ask you once again; hand over that wretched device."

"I don't think so," cut in Dracomon. "Looks like talking time is over Daichi!"

"Looks that way." Daichi then pressed the button on his Digivice to release Ambrosius.

Dracomon grabbed hold of the weapon and was bathed in a bright blue light. 'DRACOMON WARP EVOLUTION! EXAMON!' Emerging from the massive array of light was a great, red scaled dragon. His shoulders and head were covered in spikes, and an incredibly long tail flowed out behind him. A pair of gigantic wings sprouted from his back, dwarfing the rest of his already sizeable body. These wings were lined with metal, ending in large spikes at the topmost point of the wing. A large, wing-like frill spread from the base of his arms across his back, almost giving the appearance of a cape. His right arm was embedded up to the elbow in the hilt of Ambrosius.

Gallantmon looked up at Dracomon's mega form and called out to him. "So; this is what became of you, Examon the Grand. I had hoped a better fate had befallen you, but it seems that is not the case. I had hoped that you were not the same as the Examon of legend that defeated Belphemon alongside a human. However, it seems that my hopes were to be dashed."

"Sorry to disappoint," bellowed Examon. "I left the Royal Knights after Queenmon showed up because I knew something was going to go wrong. I'm glad I did, since I might have ended up in the same brainwashed situation as you if I hadn't."

"Can you not see that it is you who is being controlled? Please stand down and allow me to apprehend this child; I do not wish to harm you."

"I don't want to fight you either, but if you insist on harming Daichi then I have no choice."

Without any further exchange of words, Gallantmon leapt back from Examon. He held out his right arm, over top of which a lance materialized. The lance was a cone shaped mass of metal, extending back to his elbow, where its red coloured hilt was attached to his armour. On his right arm, a shield materialized in the same way. The outer rim of the shield was golden, as were the markings adorning it. There was a ring surrounded by triangles at regular intervals that gave the appearance of a star. There was also an inverted hazard sign inside the circle.  
Gallantmon raised the lance to Examon. "Do not worry, old friend. Gram and Aegis are merciful towards old comrades. However; they won't be so forgiving of the one who has taken control of you."

"Since talking reason to you guys doesn't seem to work, I guess I'll have to do this the old fashioned way," retorted Examon. He then turned to Daichi; "Get on; you'll be safest with me."

Daichi nodded to his partner and began scrambling his way up the Digimon's left arm. He nestled himself within the spikes on Examon's shoulder as Gallantmon stood back and watched. Examon then reared up to his full height, which dwarfed the Royal Knight. He folded his left wing over his arm to shield Daichi from any attacks Gallantmon might launch, and raised Ambrosius to point at his opponent.

"Are you sure you want to fight me, Gallantmon? You may be swifter than me, but I am much more resilient than you."

"I shall do what I must to save you, my friend."

"I should say the same."

With that, Gallantmon leapt backwards, landing on top of one of the crates behind him. He held out Gram towards Examon and called 'Lightning Joust'! A burst of blue energy streamed from the tip of the lance, straight at Examon. Examon, being too big to avoid the attack, simply folded his other wing over into the path of the blast. The blast struck his wing and dispersed outwards; leaving naught but a small scorch mark.

"You'll have to do better than that," taunted Examon, unfolding his wing.

Examon aimed Ambrosius at Gallantmon again, which began to crackle with energy. He roared 'Dragonic Impact', and discharged a massive blast of energy from between the prongs of the lance's tip. The blast moved quickly and impacted within the collection of crates, scattering bits of pavement and wood everywhere. Examon was unable to see his opponent within the blast's resultant smoke.

Examon's ears directed his gaze upwards when he heard the swooshing noise of Gallantmon's cape. The knight was descending rapidly with his lance thrust forward, and seemed to be aiming for the left side where Daichi was sheltered. Examon, whose reflexes were just as sharp as the rest of the Royal Knights, quickly raised Ambrosius to parry Gram. He caught the tip of Gram between Ambrosius' prongs, and flung Gallantmon backwards. Gallantmon landed back near the crater from Examon's attack, but lowered his lance and hung his head.

"It seems that you are correct," he said, "I am not presently suited to best you in combat. I only hope that I am able to free you from the human's control before it is too late. Since that human so fervently protected his device, it seems to me that my theory was correct. I shall inform Queenmon of this, and hopefully your destruction can be avoided."

After his speech, Gallantmon set off another blast of energy directly in front of him. The blast was brighter than before, and forced Examon to avert his eyes. When he was able to look again, Gallantmon was gone. Examon grumbled and then sighed, displeased at the notion of having to fight his friend again. He released his grip on Ambrosius and promptly reverted to his rookie form, the weapon storing itself in Daichi's Digivice.

"So," began Daichi, "you were a member of the Royal Knights before?"

"Sorry for not telling you," replied Dracomon. "I thought it might seem suspicious, since the Royal Knights were our primary opponents after Queenmon. Also, I wasn't just a member; I was one of the three founders. Gallantmon, Omnimon and I were the first three Royal Knights."

"Wow, that's kinda impressive. I wish you'd told us sooner though; you could have given us info on the Royal Knights ahead of time."

"I never even thought of that. They were my allies though, so I didn't really think I'd have to share their strengths and weaknesses with anyone else."

"Well; we can save that for later. Right now we need to get out of here. Those explosions could probably be seen miles away."

"Right, let's head back to Takeshi's place."

* * *

While chasing after Impmon, Takeshi had discovered that, despite his size, his partner was incredibly quick on his feet. He had lost sight of the Digimon early on, and had to pull out his Digivice to keep track of him. Fortunately, he had not gotten lost within the labyrinth of crates surrounding the warehouse, and had instead ended up back in the suburbs. He was forced to ignore a series of weird looks when other people saw him running down the street with a pair of large pistols in his arms.

Takeshi was relieved when Impmon, according to the signal on his Digivice, had stopped moving. He traced it to an alleyway behind an old apartment complex, and was relieved about the lesser number of people. He looked up and down the alley, and finally found his partner at the end, huddled behind a garbage dumpster. Impmon was curled up in a ball and rocking slightly, and seemed like a complete nervous wreck. Takeshi set Beren Hena aside so as not to disturb his partner again, and then knelt down next to the Digimon.

"So," began Takeshi, not entirely sure of what to say. "Are you alright?"

Impmon looked up at his partner and smirked. "Yeah," he managed between sniffles, "never better."

"You don't look alright."

"Thanks Captain Obvious, what gave that away? Was it the screaming or the running away like a madmon?"

"Both actually. Care to shed any light on the reasons why you had that little breakdown?"

"I'm not sure that I can. Frankly I'm not quite sure of what happened myself."

"What can you tell me?"

"Well…" Impmon paused for a moment and pondered what to tell his partner. The images he had seen were confusing and disorienting. They felt so much like memories, and yet he had spent his entire life from hatching with Takeshi and the other humans. He had heard the other Digimon talk of reformatting, and wondered if the 'memories' belonged to himself from a previous existence. He disregarded that theory due to the fact that he, like the other chosen Digimon, must have been born specifically to be partnered with the human children.

"It's okay," said Takeshi, interrupting his partner's musings, "if you don't want to talk about it, I can wait."

"No, it's not that," replied Impmon, "I'm just trying to sort it out myself."

"Anything coming of that?"

"Well; when I reached for Beren Hena, a bunch of images flashed through my mind."

"What kind of images?"

"That's the weird thing; they felt so much like memories. But, they didn't belong to me, at least I don't think they did."

"What did you see?"

"I saw lots of things, but the ones that stood out most were three figures. They appeared in different places, so they might not even be connected."

"Do you know who they were?"

"No, I just saw what they looked like. There was a regally dressed demon offering me his hand, a warrior clad in black armour who seemed to be dying, and an angel with black wings."

When Takeshi heard about the black-winged angel, his thoughts immediately turned to Fellangemon. This fallen angel Digimon had been the one who tricked him into releasing the Demon Lords three years prior, as well as having maimed Evan's partner. The other two didn't occur to him as anyone he could remember, but they had given him an idea of what might have happened.

"I think those 'memories' you saw belonged to the previous owner of that weapon," proposed Takeshi. "I think I knew one of those figures from your vision, and there's no way you could have ever met him. He died a long time before you were even born."

Impmon seemed greatly relieved to hear what his partner had said. "You mean it? I'm not crazy or nuthin?"

"Of course not; if that figure was who I think it was, I can understand why you freaked out. You don't need to worry about it though, since he's long dead."

"Yeah, but then if the last guy who owned these weapons knew this freaky angel guy, is it really a good idea for me to be usin'em?"

"I don't know those two wizards or their master, but the other kids tell me they were trustworthy friends. I think that it should be safe. Even if there were some risk, I don't think we'd have the option of not taking it. The others are going to need our help. Not only that; but Chie, and the rest of the world for that matter, are going to be counting on us."

Impmon looked up at his partner with a bit of admiration. "Well; I can't let them hog all the glory, now can I?"

Takeshi smiled at Impmon. "Of course not. Now; we should go back to my place and wait for Daichi."

With that, Impmon stood up and took his place beside Takeshi. Takeshi held out his Digivice to the weapons he had laid aside, which then lit up. They dissolved into a stream of black light and were stored inside the device. Takeshi pocketed his Digivice and then proceeded to head back towards his place. He and Impmon stuck to the back alleys in order to get home as discreetly as possible.

**Author's Notes: **Tada, the first confrontation with the Royal Knights has concluded in a victory for the good guys… sort of. Impmon seems to have gotten over his little freak out, but I'm sure you readers have a better idea of what he saw than he does. Stay tuned, because things are about to get really intense.


	13. Overwhelming Odds

Chapter 12: Overwhelming Odds

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, or anything related to it.**

After separating from Hanae, Evan had followed the docks down to the waterfront. Here he had been strolling at a hurried pace, trying to find out if Takeshi and Impmon had come this way. Betamon was hobbling alongside him, but seemed to have trouble keeping up. Evan noticed this after a while, and stopped to allow his partner time to catch up.

When Betamon reached Evan, he looked up at him, panting a bit. "There has got to be a better way to find him."

"I think it might be a bit late for that," replied Evan.

"How so?"

"If either one of them had come this way, then there would be footprints in the sand, or something else to indicate they had been here."

"Then how come we came this way?"

"I figured it would be best for us to go a different way than Hanae and Daichi in order to maximize our odds of finding Takeshi and Impmon. Although, it looks like I drew the short straw on that one."

"I didn't think you had time to draw straws before splitting up," mused Betamon.

Evan chuckled; "It just means I had the bad fortune to pick the wrong direction to go searching in."

"Oh."

"I'll try calling Daichi and Hanae to see if they had any better luck."

Evan plucked his cell phone from his pocket and pulled up Daichi's number. He attempted to make the call, but when he did so he could hear nothing but static. He cancelled the call, and saw that his phone currently had no signal whatsoever. He sighed and pocketed his phone, then sat down on the beach next to his partner.

"How come you didn't call him?" inquired Betamon.

"My phone isn't working," replied Evan. "I imagine all the Digimon coming and going in the past few days has messed with everything electronic."

"That's no fun. Is there any other way you can get a hold of them?"

"None that I can think of off the top of my head. If they were close to us, then I could use the Digivice to track them, but unfortunately they don't work as a communicator."

"Maybe they are nearby, but just not on the beach," proposed Betamon. "You could always check for them anyways, since I don't see how it would hurt."

Evan smiled at his partner and pulled out his Digivice. When he flicked it on, he was surprised to see that there was indeed another signal nearby. It was only one signal, and it seemed to be moving towards him. He immediately stood up and looked around, but was unable to see anything. Betamon started pushing on his leg rather urgently.

"There's a Digimon coming Evan," he said hurriedly. "It's a strong one, and worse yet it doesn't feel like one of our friends."

"You are indeed correct, young one," came a voice from behind Evan.

Evan immediately turned full circle to face the voice, and was met with a towering silhouette. It was a tall figure clad from head to toe in dark blue armour, whose helm resembled a skull. Betamon seemed absolutely terrified at the sight of this figure, and Evan was able to guess who it was rather easily.

"You're one of the Royal Knights, I presume," stated Evan.

"You presume correctly, human," replied the knight. "I am Craniamon, bearing the title of 'The Sturdy'. You are the human called Evan, are you not?"

"I am, but what's it to you?"

"It is nothing to me, for any of you humans would have sufficed."

"Sufficed for what?"

"The other knights and I are here for one reason only; to apprehend you and the other so called 'Children of Virtue'. Your crimes against her majesty Queenmon cannot go unchecked any longer. You may yet receive her mercy, if you choose to come along without resistance now."

"Somehow, I don't see that as a very appealing course of action."

"Queenmon yet believes that you can be reasoned with, but you only bring your case harm by resisting."

"Even so, I'm afraid I have no reason to come along quietly. Let's do this Betamon."

Betamon nodded to Evan as he released 'Umius' from his Digivice. Betamon dove into the ring, attaching it to his body. He was immediately enveloped in a bright red light. 'BETAMON WARP EVOLUTION!; GIGASEADRAMON!' Evan's partner emerged from the light as a massive sea serpent once again, dwarfing the Royal Knight. His body was covered from head to tail with golden armour, from which small spikes and metal fins protruded. The two large fins on the side of his head had turbines mounted on them, and at the back of his mouth a glowing orb of energy could be seen.

Craniamon sighed at the sight of the Mega Digimon. "I had hoped to avoid this, but you leave me no choice." He held out his right hand, into which a weapon materialized. It was a large halberd with a blade on either side of the hilt. Craniamon twirled the weapon and pointed one end at Gigaseadramon. "I shall give you one last chance to come quietly."

Gigaseadramon bellowed in response, roaring 'Plasma Torpedo!' With that, he discharged a massive shell of green energy from the back of his mouth towards Craniamon. The Royal Knight simply stood still as the blast impacted, exploding right in front of him. When the smoke cleared Craniamon stood, unflinching, beside the impact crater that was just inches in front of him.

"I won't miss next time," bellowed Gigaseadramon.

"I appreciate the gesture of a warning shot, but this is hardly the time for you to be holding back," retorted Craniamon. "You have made it clear that you wish to contend with me, but that being the case, it is I who should have delivered a warning to you."

With that, the Knight leapt at Gigaseadramon, lunging forward with his lance thrust outwards. Gigaseadramon's narrow body was able to swerve out of the charge's path, but that was not the end of it. The force of the charge carried a shock with it, which proceeded to push Gigaseadramon aside. Craniamon landed further down the beach, and quickly turned and rose to face his opponent again.

"My next blow shall connect properly," he shouted, "and you will regret challenging me when you feel its sting."

Gigaseadramon said nothing, and laid his body out to its full length. Several of his bladed fins lit up with the same green energy that he had fired before. He called out 'Razor Current', and then rushed at Craniamon with all possible speed. Craniamon again stood his ground as the serpent charged him; instead bringing forward his left hand. There was a deafening crash as Gigaseadramon collided with Craniamon, causing a large amount of sand to be thrown up into the air, which forced Evan to shut his eyes.

When Evan opened his eyes, he saw that Craniamon didn't seem to have budged an inch. In his left hand he now held a shield as large as himself, into which Gigaseadramon had crashed. The shield did not appear to bear even a scratch, while Gigaseadramon howled painfully, his head now spinning from the impact. He attempted to refocus his sight on Craniamon, but it was already too late.

The Royal Knight had shifted his shield aside as soon as Gigaseadramon had moved his head away. He then lunged forward again with as much ferocity as before. Still dizzied from the impact, Gigaseadramon was unable to move out of Craniamon's path. He let out a horrified screech as the Knight's blade pierced his side, causing bits of data to stream out of the wound. The great serpent then collapsed with a tremendous crash, and reverted to his rookie form.

Even shouted loudly and ran to his partner's side. Betamon's breathing was shallow, and Evan cradled him in his arms. Craniamon had dismissed his weapon and shield, and now walked towards the pair. Evan stared at him furiously, but the Knight paid no heed.

"Queenmon wanted you brought in alive," stated Craniamon coldly, "so I did not deal him a fatal wound. However; now that you know the strength we possess, you know that attempting to resist us is futile."

"You're going to pay for this," snarled Evan. He had come close to losing his partner once before, and did not want to repeat the experience.

"Had you heeded my warning, this would not have occurred. You have no one to blame but yourself. Now, will you come on your own power, or shall I have to subdue you?"

Evan got to his feet, still glaring at Craniamon. It seemed as though he wanted to charge the Knight himself, and was a furious sight to behold. He did not get the chance though, for the next thing he saw was Craniamon's gauntlet coming towards him. After that, the world went dark as he passed into unconsciousness.

* * *

After separating from Evan and the others, Hanae had immediately headed back towards the city. She was searching for Impmon, but at the same time she wanted to get close to where the others would be, in case they needed help bringing down Machinedramon. Labramon was running briskly alongside her, seemingly enjoying himself.

As Hanae was running, she found herself reentering the suburbs. One thing struck her as strange though; there didn't seem to be any people around. She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and look around. There were very few vehicles around as well, indicating that the people may have fled. Hanae wasn't surprised when this thought crossed her mind, as the city had been filled with an army of Digimon earlier that day.

While thinking along those lines, she began to wonder if her mother was alright. Her mother didn't live in the heart of the city, and would not have been in the path of Machinedramon or the Tankmon, but she was still concerned. She pulled out her cell phone and scrolled to her mother's number. Before she pressed the call button, a glace showed her that he phone was currently without any reception. She let out a disappointed sigh and pocketed her phone.

"What's the matter Hanae?" asked her partner.

"Oh, I'm just worried about my mother, that's all. I hope that she's alright with everything that's happened."

"Well you're still alright, so I'm sure she is too."

"Yeah, but I've had you and everyone else to help me. I even had to keep you hidden from her, so she didn't have anyone to help her."

"Even so, I'm sure she's alright. She wasn't anywhere near the fighting when it happened, and she's probably just waiting for you to come home."

Before Hanae had a chance to respond further, her ears picked up a beeping sound coming from her pocket. She pulled out her Digivice, the source of the noise, and saw that there was a signal aside from her own. It seemed to be moving towards her, and at a rather rapid pace. She was about to turn and investigate when a loud call reached her ears, although she couldn't make out what was said.

Labramon however, with his keener hearing, had heard what was bellowed. It had been 'Austerbien', which he recognized as the declaration of an attack by a Digimon. Without hesitating he charged into Hanae's side, knocking her to the ground. He hadn't been a moment too soon, for a pink coloured blast wave shot right past them, colliding with and obliterating a nearby building.

When the dust form the blast settled, Labramon turned to the direction the attack had come from. However, something else turned his attention away from it. There was a strange smell coming from Hanae that he had never experienced before. He went over to her side and found that she was attempting to pick herself up. She noticed that on the side of her dress there was a dark red stain, which was the source of the strange smell.

"Are you alright Hanae?" he asked frantically.

Hanae smiled at her partner; "I'm fine for now; are you hurt?"

"Not at all."

"Good, now where did that blast come from?"

"That was my doing," came another voice. It was drawing closer as it spoke. "Although it seems I've a need to brush up on my aim."

Labramon growled fiercely at the newcomer. "Who are you? Why did you attack Hanae?!"

"Silence mongrel, you are addressing a Royal Knight." With that, the form of Duftmon became visible as the last of the dust settled. "If you know anything, then you know I am here to apprehend you and the human girl in the name of her majesty Queenmon. I simply desired to neutralize you ahead of time to make the apprehension easier."

Labramon wasn't listening to Duftmon, as he had returned to Hanae's side, seeing that she was in pain. Hanae had plucked a shard of glass from her side, but was now bleeding. She tried to ignore it as she spoke to her partner, since she knew they were still in danger.

"Thanks for pushing me out of the way; that could have been much worse."

"What's wrong? What is that red stuff?"

"It's not important right now; it can be fixed. First we have to get rid of this creep though."

Labramon, not wanting to waste time arguing nodded to Hanae, who then released Amemit from her Digivice. Labramon slipped a paw into the weapon and called out 'LABRAMON WARP EVOLUTION! ANUBISMON!' With a flash of light, Labramon immediately evolved to his Mega form. He stood as tall as Duftmon, now possessing a humanoid shape. His head resembled that of a Jackal, and the claw Amemit was on his right hand. On his left wrist there was a golden amulet, and jetting from his back was a pair of gold-feathered wings.

Anubismon gestured at Duftmon with his claw. "You're going to pay for hurting Hanae. I'm going to make it quick though, since she needs help."

"Is that so?" retorted Duftmon, brandishing his rapier. "I am known as Duftmon the Swift, and I doubt you will be able to do anything to me, let alone do it quickly."

"We'll just see about that."

Without another word, Anubismon lunged at the Royal Knight, thrusting his claw forward. Duftmon stuck his sword between the blades to stop the strike, but was immediately met with a blast from Anubismon's gem. The Knight was pushed back, grunting at his foe. Anubismon did not relent, as he wished to end the fight quickly. He lunged at his foe yet again, this time catching him flat-footed.

Duftmon took all three claws to his chest, and roared painfully. Anubismon removed his weapon and flew back several feet, readying for another charge. Duftmon glared at him and let out a bellow. Suddenly he began to change. He sheathed his sword and got down on all fours. His armour and body shifted to a more streamlined shape and claws grew from his digits. He now resembled a great metallic leopard.

"It seems your haste is not to be taken lightly, but know you shall see why I am really called 'The Swift'."

Before Anubismon could react, Duftmon was on top of him. All of the Knight's new claws were digging into his body, causing him to roar in pain. He attempted to lash out with Amemit, but his claws met nothing but air. By the time he had swung, Duftmon was already behind him. The leopard reared up and raked Anubismon's wings with his claws, scattering gold feathers everywhere. The pain from the two attacks was almost too much for Anubismon, who fell to his knees.

Duftmon relented and backed away from Anubismon, reverting to his original form as he did so. He drew his sword once again and pointed it at his foe. "Now that you have seen what I am capable of, perhaps you shall surrender."

Before Anubismon could respond, Duftmon was struck by a small chuck of rock. He turned aside to see Hanae scowling at him. One of her arms was clutching at her cut, but with the other she was picking up bits of debris and hurling them at the Knight as best as she could.

"Leave him alone," she called, determination resounding in her voice.

Duftmon's eyes narrowed towards Hanae, and he then pointed his sword towards her. "It seems I shall have to subdue you further in order to complete my mission."

Duftmon lunged at Hanae, his sword arm fully extended towards her. Hanae did not wince away from the blow, but all the same time seemed to slow for the following moments. As Hanae watched Duftmon barreling towards her, she saw her partner get back on his feet and run ahead of her assailant. He dove in front of her just before the blow connected, causing Duftmon's blade to pierce his chest. Duftmon sneered and withdrew his sword, jumping back several feet. Anubismon fell flat on his back this time, but not before Amemit slid off his wrist and clattered to the ground.

Hanae let out an ear piercing scream and ran towards her partner, her Digivice falling away from her as she did so. It clattered across the ground, stopping in front of Duftmon. The Knight picked up the device and turned it over in his hand. He had heard Gallantmon speak of this device, and how it could control Digimon. He bore a wicked smirk as he dropped the device and ran his sword through it.

"I think that puts an end to your threat," he sneered. "It's too bad you're not a worthy opponent, or I might have actually bothered bringing you in."

With that, the Royal Knight turned and departed the scene. Hanae paid him and his speech no heed, as she was attempting to get a response from Anubismon. She stroked his arm and his face, hoping to get some kind of reaction. She was completely ignoring her own wound, despite the growing red stain on her dress. Anubismon turned his head towards her and smiled.

"What did you do that for?!" wailed Hanae, tears trickling down her face.

"I did say I would always protect you," he replied, before his eyes fell closed.

The arm Hanae was clutching fell limp, and began to dissolve. Upon seeing this Hanae screamed, and grasped at her partner tightly. "Don't go!" she cried, tears now torrenting down her cheeks and staining the ground next to her partner. There was nothing she could do as her partner's body broke down into bits of data and dispersed. Hanae felt her arms empty as Anubismon's body completely disappeared. She wailed once again and clutched at her trembling sides.

Hanae fell over onto her side, shuddering terribly. Her vision was beginning to blur, and she thought she could hear voices shouting in the distance. As her eyes began to close, she saw small trickles of light begin to pool in front of her. She reached out a hand, which met something round, before her vision became completely black. She lost all awareness immediately.

**Author's Notes: **Wow… I'm surprised at myself for how this chapter turned out. I had no idea any of this was going to happen when I started writing. I think I've been taking too much input from my rather violent beta-reader . The next chapter will have a good number of answers for you though, so hold tight.


	14. Loss and Recovery

Chapter 13: Loss and Recovery

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

"How is she?"

"The doctor said her wound wasn't critical, but she would be out for a while due to blood loss."

"She's been out since yesterday, but her sleeping seems to have lightened."

"We all know how tough she is; she can handle a scratch like that no problem. I meant how she is emotionally."

"It'll be hard to say until she wakes up."

Hanae heard voices swimming around her head; familiar voices. They were her friends. She somehow knew she was being talked about, although she couldn't understand what they were talking about. She slowly opened her eyes and was met with an interesting scene. She was lying on a bed in a white walled room. She didn't seem to be wearing her regular clothes, her sundress replaced with what appeared to be a hospital gown. There was a pain in her side and a small twinge in her arm, where she saw a needle dripping blood back into her veins.

She sat up quickly, and was hit with a surge of dizziness. She shook her head lightly and took a better look at what was going on. She was definitely in a hospital room, and she could see her friends standing off to the side, talking to each other. Kioko was the first to turn and notice that Hanae had awoken, and waved the others to come over to the bedside with her.

Hanae smiled weakly at the others. "I'm a little confused; how did I get here?"

"We found you yesterday and brought you here," replied Kioko. "Do you remember what happened?"

Hanae shook her head. "I'm a little fuzzy on everything that happened after I left the warehouse yesterday."

The other children looked at each other warily, not wanting to remind her of the loss of her partner. Nonetheless, they knew they had to tell her, and it was Takeshi who next spoke up.

"You left the warehouse at the same time as Evan, going after Daichi and me, after Impmon ran off. You apparently made your way towards the suburbs."

"However; while you were by yourself, one of the Royal Knights attacked you. Your side got cut, which is why you're here and all bandaged up. Unfortunately that's not all that happened."

"Dracomon told me the one that attacked you was called Duftmon," stated Daichi. "He knew him because he used to be a member of the Royal Knights before Queenmon took over. He also told us that Duftmon was the most judgmental and quickest to anger of the Knights."

"While we were leaving the city after getting rid of Machinedramon," began Ayame, "we saw an explosion and knew it meant trouble." She then hung her head; "but we weren't able to get there soon enough."

At that point Ayame held out Hanae's Digivice. There was a hole pierced clean through it, and it was shooting off sparks. The screen was flickering between blankness and static, and the rest of the casing was battered and bent. Ayame placed it on the table next to Hanae's bed, and stepped back to join the others.

"We wanted to fix it, but none of us had any idea how."

"But what about…" was all Hanae could say before the memory of Anubismon's death came back to her.

She instantly remembered him diving in front of her to take the blow from Duftmon. Tears welled up in her eyes and she began to cry in torrents. The tears streamed down her face and stained the sheets of her bed. She placed her head in her hands and wept loudly. Kioko and Ayame walked around to either side of the bed and placed their arms on her shoulders in an attempt to console her.

"There's still hope," stated Takeshi, causing Hanae to look up, her face puffy and red from crying.

Takeshi gestured to the table beside Hanae's bed, where she immediately turned to look. Next to her ruined Digivice was a large, creamy white egg. It was decorated by a red band around the middle, and a dot of the same colour on the top. Hanae stared at it longingly for a while, taking in what it was.

"This is… Labramon's?" she stammered.

Takeshi nodded to her; "That's right. Remember that when Digimon die, they don't disappear; they get reformatted instead. You were gripping that egg so tightly when we found you; we thought we'd never get it away from you."

"I imagine he's just waiting for you to get better so he can hatch out of there," piped in Daichi.

Hanae dried her eyes with the bed sheets and gave a weak smile. She was very relieved to know that her partner would be coming back to her, even though the act of losing him was still painful. She looked around to her friends, and it was at this time she noticed that not all of them were present. Not just that the Digimon weren't in the room, but also that two of the children were absent as well.

"Where are Seiichi, Evan and the Digimon?" asked Hanae.

The children once again looked at each other nervously.

"Seiichi is outside, keeping an eye on things," replied Daichi. "He's also been keeping an eye on the news for any more Digimon activity."

"The Digimon are all just outside this room in an alley. They've been listening to everything that's happened in this room, as well as getting ready in case we need to move out again."

"What about Evan?"

"I'm afraid we don't know," stated Daichi, hanging his head. "None of us have heard from or seen him since yesterday. We even got a call from his parents saying that he didn't go back to the hotel last night."

"Commandramon has been searching for him nonstop," cut in Ren. "We know that after leaving the warehouse to look for Takeshi and Impmon, he was headed towards the beach. Apparently there were signs of a fight, which means he might have been attacked, just like you were."

"Not just him," added Daichi, "Dracomon and I were attacked by one of the Knights also. We were able to hold him off though, and then he bailed."

Before any of the children could say anything more on top of that, they heard hurried footsteps coming down the hall. The door burst open to reveal Seiichi, who was panting and looked like he had seen a ghost. Without saying anything he grabbed the TV remote from the table and flicked on the TV that was in the corner of the room. He then tossed the remote aside and looked to the others.

"We've got big trouble," was all he said before he was cutoff by the newscast.

"_As many of you know, Downtown Tokyo was overrun by strange machines yesterday. They disappeared as quickly as they came, but not before leaving something behind. All communication networks were flooded with a bizarre transmission yesterday, shortly before the largest of the machines was said to have 'vanished'. Much effort has been put forth, and the transmission has been cleared enough to allow for viewing. We will be presenting it again for those who are just tuning in."_

The news screen gave way to another transmission, although it was fuzzy and full of static. Nonetheless, the children were able to recognize the visage of Queenmon on the TV screen. Seiichi turned up the volume so that they would be able to hear what she was saying as best as possible, in spite of the static and fuzz.

_"Citizens of the Human World, I beseech thee. Among you there are those who have done wrong unto me and those who inhabit my world. It is my desire that they be brought forth to face the consequences of what they have done. If you choose to keep them from us, you will be treated as their hostile allies and dealt with as such. I do not wish to see this world razed, but I will do what I must for the sake of my world."_

After Queenmon finished her rant, several more images appeared following her. The children were horrified to see their own faces broadcast, as well as their first names alongside the images. The only reprieve was that the images were of them as they were three years ago, and not more recent. The images disappeared and were once again replaced by the newscaster.

"_The true natures of these statements are as of yet undetermined, but they are clearly hostile. Investigations into their meaning are ongoing, as well as investigation into the identities of the children presented as the 'wrongdoers'. In the meantime, we urge these children to come forth and provide information about this threat to the authorities, in order to prevent a catastrophe. The civil defense is also enacting an evacuation for most parts of the city."_

The children turned their attention away from the television, unable to tolerate any more of the news.

"Great," muttered Daichi, "Now we're Japan's most wanted."

"That's not all," added Seiichi. "While most people may not recognize us from those old pictures, we can be sure that our parents will. That leaves the question of what we should do next. We can either go into hiding, or go to the authorities and tell them what we know."

"I'm not sure I like that second idea," stated Ren. "Adults can be pretty stupid sometimes, and they might just throw us to Queenmon to save their own skins."

"They wouldn't do that, would they?" asked Kioko, frantically.

"I'm with Ren; we should try and keep other people from getting involved as much as we can."

"Unfortunately," cut in Ayame, "based on what Queenmon said, everyone else is going to be involved no matter what we do."

"Well we can't just surrender to her. If we do, then the Digital World will remain under her control, and who knows what will happen to us."

"I agree, but fighting them head on isn't a good idea either. Between our three encounters with the Royal Knights, we've had two disappearances, one serious injury and one casualty. I'd really like to avoid worsening our losses."

"Maybe if we group up on them we'll have a shot. One on one we couldn't win, so it looks like we'll need to face each of them all together."

"I think we're going to get that chance sooner than we'd like." Upon saying this, Ayame turned the attention of the other children back to the television.

"_Again, this just in: our reporters downtown have just called in to tell us that another creature, which seems to be involved with yesterday's events, has appeared in the middle of the city. We now go live to our reporter downtown."_

The camera faded out for a moment, and when it faded back in, the image was coming in from downtown. As was becoming expected when Digimon were involved, the picture was blurred and full of static. Even so, the camera settled on the image of Omnimon, who was standing in the middle of an empty street. The children didn't know his identity, but it was fairly obvious to them he was a member of the Royal Knights. He somehow seemed to be aware that people were watching him, because when the camera landed on him, Omnimon began to speak.

"_Children of Virtue, if you are listening, I am Omnimon, leader of the Royal Knights. It has become quite apparent that you are guilty of transgressions against her Majesty, Queenmon. We have already apprehended one of your colleagues, and if the rest of you do not surrender, then that which is due unto all of you shall only be done unto him. You have one hour to surrender."_

After Omnimon finished his speech the camera panned to the side of the road, where the children could see two small figures bound and unconscious. They immediately recognized them as Evan and Betamon, both of whom looked like they had received very rough treatment. The children were mutually furious that their friends were being held hostage.

One look from Daichi got the other children fired up, and they simply nodded in unison. They all scrambled towards the door, while a ruckus could be heard from outside, as their partners moved to leave the nearby alley. The only one who didn't move to leave was Takeshi. The other children stopped to look at him for a moment before he explained himself.

"I'm gonna stay here with Hanae," he stated. "We can't leave her alone right now, and I think I can understand how she's feeling better than the rest of you."

"Alright, but be careful," said Seiichi. "If anything happens, we'll come back for you."

"Don't worry about it already," came the voice of Impmon, who had come into the room through the window. "I'll be here with them."

"Good to know," smirked Daichi. "We're counting on you."

Without another word, the rest of the children ran out of the room and through the rest of the hospital. They paid no heed to the other people there, or the looks they received from them. They had more important matters to tend to, and they needed to get there as quickly as possible.

* * *

Omnimon had been watching the street for some time now. He had seen the humans coming and going, apparently concerned about his presence there. He had even spoken his piece when the broadcasting device was being used on him. Other than that, he had no business with the humans aside from the Children of Virtue. The hour he had given them was almost up, and he was beginning to have doubts about the human's concern for one of their own.

Omnimon had been keeping an eye on the human called Evan, who had been subdued by his ally Craniamon. He felt somewhat ashamed of his companions' conduct, especially after hearing that Duftmon had outright destroyed one of the Digimon who was partnered with the Children of Virtue. Even so, he was under orders from Queenmon to apprehend the rest of them. He had devised his plan based on the assumption that the Children of Virtue would not abandon one of their own, but he was beginning to have his doubts.

However, just as the hour was about to run out, he felt a presence he had not been around in some time. It seemed that what Gallantmon had told them the day before was true, and one of their former comrades was indeed allied with the humans. He looked up as the form of Examon swept down from the sky and landed about a hundred feet away from him. He could see the child called Daichi perched on the great dragon's shoulders.

Shortly thereafter, four other Digimon, each accompanied by a human 'partner', joined Examon on that same street. Omnimon knew them well, as they were told of in the stories of the Demon Lords' felling. Dianamon, Apollomon, Minervamon and Darkdramon stood two to either side of the much larger Examon. Although Omnimon himself was quite large, he was still only about half the size of Examon. Even so, he faced all of the other Digimon with a cool confidence.

"Since all you have come before me in your strongest forms," called out Omnimon, "am I to assume that you intend not to surrender."

"I was hoping that I could convince you to surrender," called Examon in return. "We were allies once; why must we fight?"

"It is because you continue to stand against Queenmon and the Digital World with her. It is not yet too late to surrender, nor too late to receive mercy."

"Somehow I'm not convinced," shouted Daichi, interrupting the two Digimon. "One of your companions saw fit to slay one of ours yesterday. Where was his mercy?"

"Duftmon has always been brash, and his punishment has been meted out. However; yours will be determined by your next action. I advise you to choose carefully."

Examon let out a loud sigh and turned to face the other Digimon. "We need to be careful guys. Omnimon is the leader of the Royal Knights for a reason: he's a God-Class Digimon. This isn't going to be easy."

Examon then let out a roar and charged towards Omnimon. His feet left the ground as he broke into a glide just above the ground. He thrust Ambrosius forward, and it began to crackle with energy. Just before he could connect with Omnimon, the Royal Knight thrust forward his dragon headed arm, out of which a blade inscribed with runes emerged.

Omnimon swung his blade at Examon, calling 'Transcendent Sword', as he did so. At the same time, Examon roared 'Dragonic Impact', giving Ambrosius a final forward thrust. The two weapons collided, causing a massive burst of energy to envelope the street. The closest buildings had all of their windows shattered, as well as major damage done to their frames within the blast. When the burst cleared, Omnimon and Examon stood with their weapons locked together.

Both of the large Digimon were struggling, each trying to force the other away from him. At this time, the rest of the children's partners ran towards the two titans, intending to help Examon break the stalemate. Without turning his focus from Examon, Omnimon raised his wolf-headed arm towards the approaching Digimon. From within that arm, a massive cannon emerged, just as the sword had from his other arm.

Omnimon roared 'Supreme Cannon', causing a massive, shimmering orb of energy to launch from his arm. Examon turned away from Omnimon, and spread his wings in an attempt to block the shot. Unfortunately, he was not quick enough, and the shot flew right past him. The shot impacted the ground just in front of the four other Digimon, setting off a massive explosion.

When the blast faded, a massive crater had consumed much of the street. The buildings nearest the blast had hemispherical fissures torn into them, and not a single nearby window remained intact. Strewn about the impact crater were the still forms of the partner Digimon, all of whom had reverted to their rookie stages.

Examon was still facing away from Omnimon, who again called out 'Transcendent Sword'. He raked his sword across the dragon's back, eliciting a painful howl. Examon fell forward, landing on his front side, throwing Daichi clear of him in the process. He also reverted to his rookie form from the blow, leaving all of the Digimon incapacitated.

Omnimon stepped towards his fallen opponents, all of whom had been joined by their human partners. "You should have surrendered. Now I fear that there will be no leniency for you."

Before Omnimon could take another step, a voice from nearby called out 'Double Impact'! Before he could tell where the declaration had come from, Omnimon was struck twice in the chest. He staggered backwards, looking for the source of the attack. His gaze came upon a figure standing on top of one of the wrecked buildings nearby. The figure was currently standing with his arms extended, a double barreled shotgun held in each hand.

The figure holstered his weapons and leapt down from the rooftop. His descent was slowed by two pairs of black feathered wings. When he landed, everyone present was able to get a better look at him. He looked very much like a gang leader, wearing a leather jacket with a fur lined collar. He was wearing a pair of metal-studded riding gloves, and leather boots that each bore a triad of metal spikes at the toe. At the center of his face was an unblinking eye, position directly between his normal eyes, all of which had green irises. A small red scarf was tied around his right upper arm. The two guns he was holding earlier were holstered at his right leg and on his back.

The newcomer smirked at Omnimon, who seemed both surprised and horrified to see him. Ren was also looking at the Digimon in disbelief, knowing that he shouldn't be there. Ren and Omnimon inadvertently blurted out the Digimon's name at the same time.

"Beelzemon?!"

**Author's Notes: ** He's baaaaaack!


	15. Shifting Perspectives

Chapter 14: Shifting Perspectives

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

Everyone present seemed to stop moving at the mention of Beelzemon's name. Although Ren was the only one who had encountered him before, the other children knew he was one of the Demon Lords that they had defeated three years before. What none of them could fathom though, was how he had come back, and what he was here for. He had saved the children by halting Omnimon, but the children didn't think he was the kind of help they wanted.

"Ren, do you notice something different about him?" asked Commandramon, who had regained consciousness when Ren called the Demon Lord's name.

"He seems to have traded his motorbike for a pair of wings, but there's no mistaking that it's him," replied Ren.

Meanwhile, Omnimon had been staring intently at Beelzemon, unsure what to make of his presence there. He had stopped paying attention to the humans and their partners, and was setting all his focus on the Demon Lord. Beelzemon had made no further movements after jumping into the street, other than fanning and folding his new wings a few times.

"Well; that's enough of the shock and awe," called Beelzemon suddenly. "Time to get down to business."

Beelzemon then leapt at Omnimon, flexing his arms as he did so. He roared 'Darkness Claw', bathing his talons in dark energy. Omnimon, who had tensed himself as soon as Beelzemon spoke, swung his sword out in front of his body to intercept the Demon Lord. Beelzemon immediately dropped out of his lunge, landing on the ground just beneath the blade's path, and right in front of Omnimon. He lowered himself and kicked Omnimon's legs out from under him, causing the great knight to fall backwards.

Beelzemon leapt back after that and looked to the side of the street. "Now's your chance Takeshi!"

The children, in spite of their shock at the nature of the Demon Lord's statement, found their eyes drawn to the side of the street as well. There, they saw Takeshi propping the barely conscious Evan up on his shoulder. At the same time, they saw Hanae scurrying into the nearby ally, carrying Betamon in one arm and her Digiegg in the other.

Omnimon quickly regained his composure and got to his feet. He moved to stop Takeshi and Evan, but fell to his knee upon receiving an impact to his back. He looked behind him to see Beelzemon holding out one of his shotguns, the barrel smoking.

"Not on my watch pal." Beelzemon leapt at Omnimon once again and delivered a flying kick to the knight's side. The blow threw the larger Digimon a fair distance down the street. "It's a disgrace what passes for the God-Class nowadays," he snorted.

Omnimon glared at the Demon Lord's smugness. "You would dare to mock the leader of the Royal Knights?"

"Um, yeah, I think so. Got a problem with that, tin can?"

"You shall pay for this, but first I must warn the others that you have returned."

With that, Omnimon rose to his feet and leapt to the top of a nearby building. He began to run across rooftops until he was out of sight. Beelzemon did not follow him, and instead turned back to the human children. Takeshi and Hanae, along with Evan and Betamon, had now rejoined the others, most of whom were staring at him intently.

The Digimon partners, despite their weakened state, all stepped in front of their partners, attempting to protect them from the Demon Lord. Beelzemon simply holstered his shotguns and looked to Takeshi, who then stood up. He walked over to the Demon Lord's side, and held out his Digivice. Beelzemon was bathed in a soft glow, and began to shrink. When the glow faded, Impmon stood before the others, clutching Beren Hena in his hands.

Takeshi returned the guns to his Digivice before turning to face the other children. "I'll explain everything once we get somewhere safer."

The other children were, needless to say, very confused about what had just transpired. Not only had they just witnessed the return of a powerful evil Digimon they had defeated three years earlier, but that same Digimon was Takeshi's partner. They all wanted answers, but they also knew that it would not be safe for them to remain where they were.

As if on cue, a magic seal appeared on the ground near the group, from which the wizards once again emerged. They were a welcome sight to the children, who would have had a difficult time moving around on their own after the fight with Omnimon.

Wisemon stepped forward to address the children. "It seems as though we did not arrive quite as soon as we would have liked."

Magimon continued; "After we took the two Digimon you freed from Queenmon back to the Digital World and hid them away, we decided to come back in case you were in need of assistance. I just wish we'd gotten here a bit sooner."

"We appreciate the help," replied Daichi. "After what just happened, I think we're gonna need all the help we can get."

"For starters," piped in Hanae, "Evan and Betamon are in rough shape. Do you think you can do anything for them?"

"Hold on," cut in Seiichi, "we need to get somewhere safe first. Can you take us back to that warehouse from before? It should be far enough out of the way that we can be safe for now."

The two wizards nodded to Seiichi and stepped back. They held out their hands, which were bathed in the usual magical glow. A magic seal covered the ground below the group and whisked them away, as they had now come to be used to.

* * *

This time when the children rematerialized, they were still standing, and did not fall on top of one another. They looked around, and saw that the warehouse remained as empty as it had been the day before. The wizards appeared shortly afterwards next to the rest of the group. Without saying a word, the wizards raised their hands, which were again bathed in a magical glow. The building around them seemed to shimmer and flicker momentarily, but nothing else happened.

"We have placed a ward around this structure," stated Wisemon, lowering his arms. "We should be safe from detection so long as we remain inside."

"We also masked the building with a field of data," added Magimon, "which will make it invisible to humans. Now that we have some privacy, I imagine there are a few things to be discussed."

At this time, the other members of the group all turned to look at Takeshi and Impmon. The two of them seemed a little perturbed to have all the others attention focused on them. The exception was Hanae, who seemed a little taken aback that the others were giving such weird looks to their friend.

"Um..." stammered Takeshi, "where should I start?"

Impmon pulled on Takeshi's pant leg to get his partner's attention. "I still have a few things to fill in as well, so why don't you start with what happened after everyone else left the hospital."

"That reminds me," chimed in Kioko, "how's your side Hanae?"

"It's fine," she replied, "although it's still a bit sore. Forget about me though, how are Evan and Betamon?"

As Hanae mentioned the two of them, the children looked off to the side, where they saw the two wizards standing over the forms of Evan and Betamon. Their hands were glowing a soft green colour, which the children had seen them use once before. It was a healing magic, which they had once used to purify a virus infected Digimon. After they lowered their hands, Evan and Betamon began to stir.

Evan sat upright and looked around, seeming quite disoriented. "Where am I now?"

Hanae approached Evan and knelt down beside him and put a hand on his shoulder. "You're back in the warehouse the Wizards took us to yesterday. Can you tell us what happened to you after we left?"

"Yeah; Betamon and I went down to the beach in search of Takeshi and Impmon, when we got waylaid by one of the Royal Knights. I think he said his name was Craniamon. After that, things get kinda fuzzy."

"That's because we were unconscious for most of the time," cut in Betamon. "I tried to fight off Craniamon, but he beat me senseless. After that, I think he took us to the other Knights, and they tried to get information out of us. You did a good job keeping quiet though."

"I'm just glad you're both alright."

"What about you Hanae, I overheard that you got hurt."

"Yeah... Labramon and I got attacked by another one of the Knights; he was called Duftmon." Hanae dropped her head a little and reached into her pocket. She pulled out her broken Digivice and held it out in front of her. She then gestured to her side, where she had set down her Digiegg.

Upon seeing Hanae's broken Digivice, Evan reached into his own pockets and felt around his clothes. "Damnit, my Digivice is gone. They must have taken it."

Daichi spoke up to address the confusion the others seemed to have about the Digivices. "It seems that the Royal Knights have gotten it into their heads that our Digivices are a mind control device. Gallantmon, the Royal Knight that Examon and I fought, told us it was his theory and then tried to take mine away. From the looks of it, we were lucky to get off as easy as we did."

"Speaking of getting lucky," cut in Seiichi, "I still would like to hear about the circumstances that led to our rescue by a Demon Lord."

"Oi," retorted Impmon, "I'm not a Demon Lord any more."

Takeshi held a hand out in front of his partner to keep him from jumping at Seiichi. "Please Seiichi, wait until you hear the whole story."

"Alright, but I hope you can understand why I'm a bit wary about him."

Impmon scowled at Seiichi, but stood back from him. Takeshi stood before the rest of the group, but seemed a bit wary or the looks he was getting. Noticing this, Hanae stood up and walked over to Takeshi, placing a hand on his arm. She smiled at him and then turned to address the others.

"I'll start us off," she began, "with what happened after you guys left the hospital. Shortly after your departure, I got a page in the hospital room. Apparently they had informed my mother that I was there, and she had come in a hurry."

"That's not all," added Takeshi. "Impmon told us that he saw several police cars in the hospital parking lot. I don't know if they came along with Hanae's mother, but either way we couldn't let them find us."

"Impmon fused the door shut with some fire to buy time, while Takeshi and I climbed out the window. It was lucky we were on the first floor, or the trip might have been much more difficult."

"After that, the only thought in our mind was getting away from other people, so as to avoid getting caught. To that end, we started heading into the heart of the city, which had been mostly evacuated since yesterday."

"We managed to avoid running into anyone on our trip, but then we finally found you guys. We arrived just in time to see Omnimon fire off that cannon of his and knock out most of the Digimon. We knew you guys needed help, but without Labramon or my Digivice, I wasn't able to do anything."

"Impmon and I knew we were the only ones that could help, so I released Beren Hena from my Digivice and Impmon grabbed them. Hanae and I were both shocked at what he evolved into, but he seemed just as surprised as we did. Even so, he immediately jumped in to stop Omnimon from taking the rest of you."

"Now it's time for me to fill in the rest," stated Impmon, interrupting his partner. "When I took hold of those guns and evolved into Beelzemon, memories of who I used to be flooded in. However, with those memories I also got a revelation: I, alone of the Demon Lords, had been given a second chance."

Takeshi turned to his partner, now just as curious as the others. "So, you remember everything that happened back when you were a Demon Lord?"

"Not everything, but definitely everything important. Way back in my previous life, I was an Impmon, like I am now. I was weak, and nearly got killed. However; Lucemon saved my life, and offered me power. I accepted, not wanting to continue being the weak little runt I saw myself as back then. Beelzemon the Bandit was born out of my hunger for power."

Ren chose this time to address his old opponent. "Since you said you were the only Demon Lord to get a second chance, I take it something happened before the end."

"Yeah, and I actually have you to thank for that. When you defeated me before, I felt like I did before I became a Demon Lord; weak. But then, you spared me. That small kindness sparked something in me; something good. Unfortunately, it was cut short when Fellangemon killed me. I don't remember any of the details after that, but I do know that whereas the other Demon Lords were obliterated, I wasn't, and it was thanks to that small spark of good. The next thing I knew, I had hatched as Yaamon and was with Takeshi."

When Impmon finished his story, the other six children huddled together.

"Do you think we can trust him?" propositioned Seiichi.

"I'm not sure," replied his sister, "he is, or at least was, a Demon Lord."

"Remember that he did save us," interjected Kioko. "If he meant us any harm, he could have destroyed us all after Omnimon left."

"Plus," added Daichi, "don't forget that he is Takeshi's partner. We've never had reason not to trust any of our partners before."

"I'm inclined to believe him as well."

"Alright," said Seiichi, although he still seemed somewhat sceptical.

Evan decided to speak up now that Impmon's story was finished. "I appreciate that you saved us Impmon, but I think that we're going to have even more problems than before."

"What are you talking about?"

"He's right," piped up Dracomon. "The Royal Knights may be under the control of Queenmon, but my encounter with Gallantmon showed me that they still have some of their old honour. Due to that, they're going to be after Beelzemon with everything they've got."

"Precisely. Since they only know you as a Demon Lord, they're probably going to think that you're responsible for everything that's happened since this began."

"That's not all," added Betamon. "Both Hanae and Evan are without Digivices, which means that Labramon won't be able to evolve once he hatches, and neither will I."

"We might be able to offer a solution to at least part of that problem," stated Wisemon, he and his brother choosing that moment to rejoin the conversation. "Since the Digivices are made of data, we might be able to repair them in a similar way to the healing magic we use."

"We can't promise anything," said Magimon, "but I think it's worth a shot."

Hanae's face had lit up at the prospect of her Digivice being repaired. "By all means go for it," she said.

Hanae walked over to the two wizards and handed her broken Digivice over to Wisemon. Wisemon held out the hand holding the Digivice to Magimon, who placed one of his hands on top of his brother's. The linked hands then lit up with a bright green light, which caused the children to have to look away. The light faded after a few moments, and Hanae looked on in anticipation. The two wizards looked to her and both shook their heads. They opened their hands and revealed that the Digivice was unchanged.

"What went wrong?" asked Hanae.

"There was a complication we did not foresee," replied Wisemon. "The data that makes up these devices is incredibly dense and complex. On our own, we simply cannot perform this task."

"I have another idea though," picked up Magimon, "based on what we felt while trying to repair it just now. If we had the other Digivices, we could link them together. When my brother and I link our powers, we can perform greater feats than we can alone. Using the same idea, the Digivices could act as an amplifier for our magic, allowing us to perform this task properly."

"There is an unfortunate problem with that idea, brother. Without Evan's Digivice, the link would be incomplete, and would most likely fail."

"Well then," exclaimed Daichi, "we'll just have to get it back, won't we?"

"How do you plan on doing that?" cut in Ayame. "We don't even know if his Digivice is still intact, not to mention the fact that we'd have to go through Queenmon and the Royal Knights to get it."

"Actually, it is still intact. When Evan and I were being held by them, I was conscious for the earlier parts of said captivity. I saw them take his Digivice, but they seemed more interested in finding out how it worked than simply breaking it. Not only that, but I can kind of 'feel' that it's still there."

"That doesn't address the problem of Queenmon and the Knights," said Seiichi.

Impmon decided to give Seiichi a smug response. "Don't forget; you've got the power of a former Demon Lord backing you up now."

"That's not all; I also know where we can find them."

**Author's Notes: **Damn, it took me forever to write this chapter out. I finally managed to finish it, although slightly differently from what I had in mind originally. I think this worked out well though, but I'll have to let my readers be the judge of that. Hope you enjoyed it.


	16. Reclamation

Chapter 15: Reclamation

Evening had fallen by the time Omnimon descended from the rooftops of Tokyo. He had travelled with as much haste as he could muster, but the city was a large one. He leapt down onto the streets, standing up straight after landing. He looked ahead and saw his destination: Tokyo Tower. When Queenmon had led the Royal Knights into the Human World, her first priority had been to establish a meeting place and centre of operations. She had selected this tower because it stood out in the city, and would be easily recognized amidst the unfamiliar environment.

When they first decided to claim the tower, most of the humans fled before them, frightened. Those that did not flee at first fled soon after, when the human authorities decided to evacuate the major parts of the city. From her Knight's scouting efforts, Queenmon had learned that the outer limits of the city had been turned into makeshift housing camps for the displaced humans.

Twice now the humans authorities had attempted to remove Queenmon and the Knights from the city. Both times they had retreated, after learning that their weapons were ineffective against the Digimon. Since they had put out the broadcast about the Children of Virtue, they had not been approached by any humans at all, presumably because they were occupied with trying to find the children as well.

Omnimon reached the base of the tower and grabbed hold of the makeshift ladder that they had constructed. The Knights had found that the lifts the tower was originally equipped with did not function when they tried to use them. He pulled himself up the ladder until he reached the observation deck about half way up the tower. There, he entered the deck through a window they had removed to allow access.

As soon as Omnimon entered the tower, he looked around. The first thing he noticed was that the place was strangely vacant. A twitch of movement caught his eye, causing him to look to his left. There, he simply saw the crumpled form of his comrade Duftmon. Although it was true that they were comrades, the harsh actions he had taken against one of the Children of Virtue could not be overlooked. Therefore, he had taken it upon himself to reprimand the knight, in the only way he seemed to understand.

Although Duftmon was out of commission for obvious reasons, Omnimon still wondered what had happened to the rest of his comrades, as well as his liege. He was tempted to bring out his blade, but the fact that there was no signs of a fight told him otherwise. He looked up when he heard the sound of footsteps, and was relieved to see the form of Queenmon approaching him.

"Welcome back Omnimon," she greeted him warmly. "However, since you are returning alone, I take it you were unable to apprehend the Children?"

"I apologize your majesty," replied Omnimon, falling to one knee. "Unforseen circumstances interfered with their apprehension."

"Do not dismay my faithful subject, I do not hold it on you. However, I desire an explanation of what has transpired."

Omnimon stood up once more. "Of course your Highness, but first I have a question."

"You are perhaps wondering where the rest of your comrades are?"

"Yes your Highness."

"Do not worry, they are all well. I have sent them out on important reconnaissance work."

"Would you care to elaborate, your Highness?"

"Of course Omnimon, I was about to continue. When Machinedramon was tapped into the city's information networks yesterday, I had him transfer more specific information about the Children of Virtue to the Law Enforcement offices of this world. My desire was to acquire their assistance in apprehending the children, as well as let them know that we hold no grievance with the rest of this world."

"What became of that, your Highness?"

"So far, I have only received information on the child that Duftmon attacked. This is because there was a record of her being admitted to some sort of medical facility. However, I have presently sent the other Knights to contact those same authorities to see if any more information has become available, or if any of the children had perhaps been apprehended."

"I see, so you had planned from the beginning to attempt to apprehend them on multiple fronts."

"That is correct. Now, I would ask you to tell me what happened on the front I trusted you with."

"Of course Highness. I delivered the ultimatum to the children via media broadcast, as you instructed. After that, five of them came to attempt to rescue the child Craniamon apprehended."

"Oh? Which two were not present?"

"The girl that Duftmon attacked, and the boy who originally attacked you."

"I see; please continue."

"The children came, and in addition the Digimon they were controlling, all of whom had evolved to their Mega forms. It seems that they never had any intention of letting themselves be taken in willingly."

"So you fought with them? I take it that the five of them together managed to overcome you, which is why you retreated?"

"Of course not Highness, there is more to it than that. I began to grapple with Examon first, which reflects highly upon our comrade that he could fight on par with me. During that time, I subdued the other four. Again reflecting credit on himself, Examon turned away from me to check the condition of his comrades, at which time I ended the fight."

"You speak highly of Examon the Grand; did you perhaps deal a lethal blow by mistake?"

"No, I simply do not wish to dishonour a comrade, former or present. Also, there is yet more to this tale. After Examon was taken care of, I moved to subdue the Children, but I was assaulted by an additional combatant."

"Who was this attacker?"

"At first I could not believe it, but there can be no mistake. The one who assaulted me was in fact Beelzemon, the Demon Lord."

"Beelzemon?! So, that strange presence we all felt was indeed something sinister."

"I am afraid so. He stepped in to prevent me from apprehending the Children, at which time I chose to retreat so that I could convey this information to you and the other Knights."

"Beelzemon... this changes things. The first question is how he is alive. More importantly though, this may offer an explanation to everything that has happened."

"What do you mean Majesty?"

"I never wanted to believe that the Children of Virtue were a threat to our world, after all they did to save it so long ago. That one of the Demon Lords yet lives... certain things are starting to make sense to me now."

"What do you mean your Highness?"

"You remember the old stories about the warrior 'Wargreymon', don't you? That same warrior was turned into an agent of evil by a virus created by Beelzemon. Also, it is said that Ren allowed Beelzemon to live after defeating him, although he was then supposedly killed by someone else."

"Where are you going with this?"

"It's all so clear to me now. Beelzemon never died; the so called Children of Virtue allowed him to live. They wanted to take control of the Digital World, and he offered them his method of control in exchange for sparing his life. After that he disappeared so that the Digital World would believe he died. He probably came back to this world with the humans so that they could further their plans for domination. That device of theirs must be the result of those labours."

"Are you certain about this your Majesty?"

"Indeed I am. Why else would they refuse my offer of cooperation and ask me to step down from my rightful rule? They wished to take that rule away from me are have it for themselves!"

"What of the other humans then your Majesty? Do you think that all of the humans are involved in this plot to conquer our world?"

"That I do not know, since they seemed willing to help apprehend the Children. However, their acts can no longer be overlooked or forgiven. We must put an end to this as soon as possible!"

"Well; it's nice to know you see me in such a flattering light," came a voice brimming with sarcasm.

Both Queenmon and Omnimon looked to the source of the remark, and were met with the sight of Beelzemon. He was hovering just outside the open window, his wings flapping slowly. He had his arms crossed and bore a smirk on his face. The sight of him infuriated both of them, but they were also confused as to how he had gotten so close without them noticing.

Omnimon was about to charge at the former Demon Lord when a massive red wing crashed through the side of the observation deck he was standing near. He recognized the wing as Examon`s, but not before it collided with him and swept him across the floor. At that same time, Takeshi jumped down from Examon's wing onto the observation deck.

As he landed, he heard Daichi call from outside. "Let's not waste the element of surprise. Get what we came for as quickly as you can."

Once that statement was made, Examon forced his wing through the rest of the observation deck, taking Omnimon along with it. The Royal Knight was hurled to the ground outside the tower, where Examon proceeded to dive towards him. Omnimon was about to get to his feet when the massive dragon rammed into him once more, forcing him further away from the tower.

After Examon had cleared the tower, Beelzemon swooped in and landed next to his partner. "I'll take care of her; you find the Digivice."

"Right," replied Takeshi, pulling out his own Digivice.

Takeshi ran off to the side, away from his partner. However, Queenmon was focused solely on Beelzemon. She was almost shaking with visible fury as she stared at him. He stared right back at her, but with a smirk on his face instead. Without breaking their apparent staring contest, Beelzemon slowly stepped towards Queenmon.

"Nice to finally meet you, your Majesty," said Beelzemon, his middle eye rolling with his sarcasm.

"I must say that I am surprised to be meeting you," replied Queenmon. "I would have thought you'd continue using the children, instead of coming to face me directly."

"I imagine you can understand that good help is hard to find these days. The trash heap over there seems to be proof of that," he said, shooting a glance at Duftmon. "Even so, you have something that belongs to a friend of mine, so I'm gonna need it back."

"Based on the fact that you were involved this whole time, I think perhaps I may have been too hard on him for his actions. As for this 'friend' of yours, I doubt someone as black hearted as you understands the concept."

"Better than someone who has nothing but mindless lapdogs."

"Enough of this; I shall put an end to you right now! Perhaps then the humans will gain hold of their senses and surrender to me. That might not matter though, as their affiliation with you is only the last item on their long list of transgressions."

"Just try it!"

Beelzemon flexed his claws towards Queenmon, who simply stood her ground. She held out her left hand, around which energy began to flow. The energy, stemming from the older Digivice in her abdomen, took the shape of a large sledgehammer. The hammer materialized in her left hand, while she grabbed the handle with her right to brace it. She gestured at Beelzemon with the hammer, her helm blocking any noticeable expression.

Before Beelzemon could act, Queenmon lunged at him, swinging her hammer in a wide arc. Beelzemon was able to duck the blow, but the force it carried along with it was immense. He had to glide back about ten feet in order to keep his balance. Queenmon was unrelenting, lunging at him again immediately. This time Beelzemon threw himself upwards to avoid the hammer's swing.

From his position in the air, Beelzemon dove towards Queenmon, his hand balled into a fist in front of him. Queenmon stepped out of the path of the diving punch, but right after passing her, Beelzemon spun around in midair. He had gotten close enough that he was able to drive one of his spiked boots right into her chest, knocking her back a fair distance and winding her. Beelzemon felt as though something similar had happened to him before, but he couldn't put his finger on it.

Queenmon grunted angrily at Beelzemon as she stabilized herself. "I should have expected as much from one with the strength of a Demon Lord. However, if you think that will be enough to take away my throne, you are sadly mistaken."

"Listen lady, I got no interest in your throne..."

"Silence! Do not think you can deceive me with your words. You are a Demon Lord, and that is all I need to know."

"Whatever."

Queenmon and Beelzemon were about to throw themselves at each other again, when their attention was caught by something else. Takeshi had called out to Beelzemon, causing them both to look at him. He had recovered Evan's Digivice, and remarkably it was still intact. Beelzemon let a smirk onto his face, which Queenmon caught a glimpse of.

"I'm afraid I cannot allow you to take that," she bellowed. "No more of my subjects shall be tainted to your cause!"

Queenmon then lunged at Takeshi, pulling her hammer back for a heavy swing. Beelzemon knew that his partner was not fast enough to avoid the blow, so he had to act quickly. He pulled Beren Hena out of their holsters and flung himself into Queenmon's path. As she was lowering her hammer to strike the blow, he raised the gun in his right hand to meet it.

The moment the two weapons collided, Beelzemon pulled the trigger, using the gun's blast to quell the force of the pending blow. Unfortunately, both barrels of that gun splintered from the resulting recoil. However, the loss of momentum threw Queenmon completely off balance. Seeing this as an opportunity, Beelzemon aimed his remaining weapon right into her face. He didn't hesitate to pull the trigger.

The force of the blast right to her face threw Queenmon back a huge distance. She landed with a heavy thud that crumpled the floor beneath her. At the same time her helm, which had been blown completely off, clattered to the floor in several pieces. Queenmon got to her hands and knees, clutching at her head. She turned her head to glare at the two of them, and was a sight to behold.

Queenmon's left eye was incredibly striking. It consisted of a solid coloured orb in a shade of teal, with a red, slit like pupil running down the middle. This eye gave off the appearance of a beast, even though her right eye was a normal green eye. In addition, several cables jutted out of the left side of her head, seeming to run further down into her armour, along with a long flow of black hair. Parts of her face occasionally suffered a blip of pixelation, caused by her unstable data.

Despite the bizarre qualities of her face, Takeshi looked on with shock and awe, for he recognized that face. "Chie?!"

Beelzemon turned to his partner in surprise. "What did you say?"

"That...that's Chie; my little sister!"

"You told me about your little sister, but how can she be Queenmon?"

"I don't know how this could have happened, but there's no doubt that it's her."

Queenmon looked at the two of them quizzically. "What are the two of you blathering about? What is this 'Chie'?"

"Don't you remember?" pleaded Takeshi, stepping towards Queenmon.

By this time Queenmon had gotten back on her feet. She continued to look at Takeshi quizzically. "I think perhaps being in the presence of that Demon has addled your mind. I am Queenmon."

"Maybe this will help," said Takeshi, aiming his Digivice at Queenmon.

He pressed the left button, cause a beam of light to shoot out towards Queenmon. Before it could strike her though, the Digivice in her abdomen lit up, and a translucent field of energy surrounded her body. This field deflected the stream of light from Takeshi's Digivice. Queenmon looked at him furiously, this time with a visible glower.

Before either of them could do anything else, Beelzemon ran by, grabbing Takeshi as he went. "I think we've overstayed a welcome we never had."

"But..." was all Takeshi managed before Beelzemon dove from the tower.

As Beelzemon broke into a glide, he flew past the intertwined forms of the grappling Omnimon and Examon. Daichi, seeing the two of them fly by, dug his foot into Examon's shoulder. Receiving this signal, Examon gave a heave and threw Omnimon to the ground. After that, he spread his wings out to their fullest and jetted off after Beelzemon.

Omnimon was about to start running after the two of them when Queenmon leapt down from the tower. She landed right next to the knight and placed a hand on his shoulder to stop him. Omnimon turned to face her and was briefly taken aback by the sight of her face. He was not horrified by her appearance, but simply startled at seeing her real face for the first time.

"Your Highness," he stammered, "what happened? Are you harmed?"

"No," she replied curtly. "However, they retrieved the device, and even attempted to use it on me."

"What shall we do your Highness?"

"I believe we need to change the method in which we deal with these humans."

**Author's Notes: **Well, there you have it; the true identity of Queenmon. I know many of you seemed to have figured it out ahead of time, but for those who haven't read far enough or do not, please do not spoil it. Feel free to say you were right or wrong, just so long as you do not name names. Thank you. If I see anyone naming names in a review, I will send a message to that person to remove the review, and withhold further chapters until it is gone. Sorry if that sounds harsh, but this is the most major reveal of the story, and I don't want to ruin it for anyone.


	17. Difficult Choices

Chapter 16: Difficult Choices

Kioko and Elecmon sat at the entrance to the warehouse, awaiting the return of Daichi, Takeshi and their partners. Inside the warehouse, the rest of the children and Digimon were scattered around, all of them showing signs of concern while awaiting the return of their friends. None of them seemed able to stay in one place, although Evan and Hanae had an easier time sitting still due to their injuries. The rest of the children paced or fidgeted endlessly in their anxiousness.

Then, Kioko heard the sound of rushing air, and immediately looked outside the warehouse door. She saw the massive form of Examon soar over top of the building, followed by the more diminutive Beelzemon, who seemed to be carrying Takeshi by one arm. She watched as the two of them flew past the building and set down a fair distance away. There was a flash of light, and the two Digimon reverted to their rookie stages.

Kioko called to the others, who all converged on the doors at once. A few moments later, Takeshi, Impmon, Daichi and Dracomon reached the entrance, bringing much relief to the others. The two wizards also joined the children and their partners, hoping for some good news from the group that had gone out.

"Welcome back guys," said Hanae, giving Takeshi and Daichi each a hug. "How did it go."

Daichi flashed her a smirk and gave her a thumbs up; "Mission accomplished."

Evan stepped up wearing a smile as well. "Really? You got my Digivice back."

"Sure did, show em Takeshi."

Takeshi seemed to be in his own little world, and wasn't really paying attention. A nudge in the ribs from Daichi brought him back to reality. "Huh, oh yeah, here." He plucked Evan's Digivice from his pocket and handed it over.

"Alright, it's still intact. The plan should work now."

The children all brought out their Digivices and moved towards the centre of the warehouse. Hanae set hers down on the ground, while the other children, directed by the wizards, placed theirs in a circle around hers. The children stepped back as the wizards stepped towards to circle of Digivices. They stood side by side and grasped each others hand, while each pointing their opposite hand at the Digivices, palm outwards.

The two wizards became bathed in a pale green light, which flowed out of them onto the Digivices. The devices all began to glow in their own respective colours, before shooting a stream of light from the port towards Hanae's broken one. There was a tremendous flash of intense, white light, which forced the children to avert their eyes. When it faded, they looked back to see what had happened. A smile spread across Hanae's face as she saw that her Digivice was once again intact.

The wizards stepped aside and allowed the children to reclaim their respective Digivices. When Hanae picked hers up, she felt a pleasant twinge, which pulled her attention to her side. Upon looking, she saw that her Digiegg had begun to glow. She picked it up just as the shell dissolved into data, leaving a newborn Digimon in her arms.

The young Digimon was little more than a small ball of white fur. A furry red ear drooped from either side of its body, and a balled red tail was to its rear. It looked to Hanae with a pair of button eyes and nuzzled her arms. Hanae scanned the newborn with her now functional Digivice. It was revealed to be 'Paomon', 'In-Training', and a 'Vaccine' type. She smiled and held the Digimon close, eliciting a pleasant 'yip' from him.

"Alright, the team is whole once again," called Daichi, excitedly.

"Indeed," added Seiichi. "With our collective strength we can finally focus on the task of ending things once and for all."

"The only question then," cut in Ren, "is how we're going to accomplish that."

"He's right," chimed in Evan, while pointing at his various bruises. "Remember that thus far our encounters with the Royal Knights have had less than optimal results."

"If only there were a way we could get stronger."

"Sorry Daichi," said Kioko, "but I don't think that's an option. Mega is the highest evolutionary level that Digimon can reach. The only way to surpass that would be with the 'God Class', and I don't think that our Digimon can pull that off."

"Not to mention the fact that one of our enemies does have that extra tier of power."

"Don't forget, one of our allies does too," remarked Ayame, gesturing to Impmon. "That should be enough to match Omnimon."

"That still leaves Examon as the only other one who has even footing with the knights, since he used to be one of them."

"We could try purifying them. If we could bring them back to their senses and tell them what's going on, we could enlist their help against the rest."

"How, exactly, do you propose we pull that off? It's not like they'd just let us purify them, especially seeing as how they currently think we use our Digivices to brainwash them. We'd have to beat them in a fight before we could pull that off, which brings us back to the original problem."

"What if we all ganged up on one of them at a time? Even one of those knights wouldn't be a match for all eight of us together."

"I highly doubt we'd be able to get them alone like that. Hell, they could gang up on us, seeing as how they have Queenmon with them. They've got one up on us."

"Wait, that's it!"

"What's it Seiichi?"

"It's so simple, I can't believe I didn't realize it sooner. We only have one real enemy here, and that's Queenmon herself. The Royal Knights have the task of defending the Digital World, and are only in ours because she's bent them to her will. If we can destroy her, then not only would her control be lifted, but they'd surely return to the Digital World to resume their duties."

"That's it then, let's just go get Queenmon!"

"You can't do that!" shouted Takeshi, causing the others to all stop talking and stare at him. This sudden outburst was the first thing he'd said since getting back.

"Are you alright?" asked Hanae, walking over to Takeshi. "Did something happen to you out there?"

"No, nothing happened to me, but..."

"But what?" demanded Seiichi. "Did you learn something about Queenmon?"

"Yes, but she... I..."

"Out with it! Why can't we destroy Queenmon?"

"BECAUSE SHE'S MY SISTER!"

Hanae raised her hand to her mouth and let out a horrified gasp, nearly dropping Paomon in the process. The other children stared at Takeshi, seemingly unable to comprehend what he had said. Impmon was the exception, as he had been there when Takeshi had found out. The Digimon looked to Takeshi's partner for an answer, but all he did was nod his head.

"Queenmon is Chie?" stammered Kioko. "How is that even possible?"

"I don't know", replied Takeshi, shaking his head violently. He was visibly trembling and breathing heavily. "When Beelzemon and I fought with her, he knocked her helmet off. It was warped, but there's no denying it was her face I saw."

"That doesn't make any sense though," blurted Ayame. "Queenmon is a Digimon and Chie is a human; how can they be the same person?"

"Remember that Chie has the data of a Digimon coded to her very DNA," stated Seiichi. "Three years ago Takeshi used the data of his former partner to repair her genetic disorder and saved her life. If Queenmon really is Chie, then I can only guess that something happened that caused the Digimon parts of her DNA to take over her human self."

"Then why didn't she recognize us?" asked Hanae. "We've all been friends with Chie since that day three years ago, but she didn't seem to know us at all."

"She's lost her memories of being Chie," stated Takeshi, tears running down his face. "She didn't even recognize her own name when I called to her."

"There IS the possibility that it is an illusion, and Queenmon is simply using your..."

Before Seiichi could finish his statement, Takeshi's fist connected with his face, knocking him to the ground. "I know what I saw!" he yelled.

Ren came up behind Takeshi and pinned his arms to keep him from attacking Seiichi again. "Alright man, take it easy. If anyone could tell if it was the real Chie, it would be you. Fighting amongst ourselves isn't going to fix things though."

Ayame hoisted her brother back up by the shoulder. "Would it kill you to use some tact? Takeshi nearly lost his sister before; there's no way he'd want to have to go through that again."

"Fine, but we still have to deal with this."

Ren released Takeshi, who slumped to his knees, still crying. "So, what can we do about this? If Queenmon is Chie, then we can't just destroy her. We need to find a way to get her back."

"Remember that Queenmon's data is corrupt," said Wisemon, approaching the children. "In the same way that your Digivices purify the imprint of her data on other Digimon, they should be able to neutralize its control over the girl's body."

"I tried that already," said Takeshi, getting back on his feet and wiping his eyes. "When the beam was about to hit her, the Digivice she had blocked it. We're not going to be able to purify her unless we get it away from her."

"I'm afraid that means we're going to have to fight her no matter what then."

"I don't know if I can fight against Queenmon," said Hanae, "not when I know she's really Chie."

"I don't think any of us want to fight her Hanae," said Ayame, placing a hand on the younger girl's shoulder. "But I think we'll have to if we want to save her."

"You are quite right about that," stated Magimon. "Based on the instability of her data, Queenmon should already be degrading by now. If the corrupt data is not purified, then it may well result in her undoing."

Takeshi's eyes went wide at the wizard's words. All this terrible news at once seemed to be too much for him, as he ran over to the corner of the warehouse and was violently ill. Impmon walked over to his partner's side and rubbed his back. Hanae and Kioko went over to his side as well to make sure he was alright. Hanae tore off a piece of her sundress for him to wipe his face off with. Since it was already ruined by the bloodstain, she didn't care.

After Takeshi had finished and wiped his face, Hanae and Kioko helped him to his feet. Daichi came over to him and looked him square in the eyes. "Are you gonna be alright?"

"I'm fine, at least for now," replied Takeshi, who still seemed a bit woozy.

"I hope so, because we're going to need you at your best. Even if she doesn't realize right now, Chie is counting on you to save her, so she needs you at your best too."

Takeshi nodded weakly but firmly. "I will save her."

"Good, now that that's settled, we've got some planning to do."

"I don't suppose it could wait until morning could it? I need some time to digest everything."

"I'm agree with Takeshi," said Hanae, stifling a yawn. "I think some rest would do us all good."

"You may go ahead and rest," stated Wisemon. "My brother and I do not need to sleep tonight, so we can keep an eye on things here."

The children all agreed that they needed rest, and knew they could count on the wizards to keep watch. They curled up with their partner on the floor of the warehouse. They didn't have blankets or pillows, but since the weather was warm none of them minded. They were all really too tired to care. Before going to sleep, they had all agreed to make the following day the last in the conflict. They were all in for a rude awakening.

* * *

Early the following morning, the children were awoken not by a warning from the wizards, but from the blast that followed thereafter. All of the children quickly got to their feet to observe what had happened. There was a large blast cloud around the front of the warehouse, and the wizards were sprawled unconscious to either side. When the cloud settled, the form of Gallantmon was standing before the children. They all immediately reached for their Digivices as their partner's move up, but Gallantmon raised his arms, causing his lance and shield to vanish.

"It took me quite some time to pinpoint your location," stated Gallantmon. "Those two did an excellent job concealing you."

Daichi and Dracomon stepped forward to meet the Royal Knight. "What are you doing here? If you came here looking for a fight, you chose the wrong time."

"I did not come here looking for a fight, at least not immediately. I came here on behalf of Queenmon to relay a message to you."

"Oh? What kind of message?"

"It was Queenmon's desire that I tell you everything that she and the other Royal Knights will be engaging in this day. You will no doubt question why she would tell you all this, but I imagine that will become clear once all has been said."

"Go right ahead then."

"Indeed. Queenmon has grown tired of playing cat and mouse with you, the so called Children of Virtue. Therefore, all of this shall be brought to an end today."

"We were hoping for that."

"Be silent. Beginning exactly one hour from now, the Royal Knights, excluding myself, shall begin attacking the two human evacuation centres at the North and East outskirts of the city. In addition," he continued, pointing directly at Hanae. "Your 'mother', as you call her, is being held by one of my comrades at the West end of the city."

The children needed a moment to digest everything that Gallantmon had said, but they simultaneously burst with rage at what he had said. Hanae sank to her knees and buried her face in her hands, while Ayame and Seiichi joined Daichi in front of Gallantmon. They continued to speak while Kioko and Evan tried to get a response out of Hanae.

"That's beyond dirty," declared Ayame furiously.

"How can you call yourself a Royal Knight?" demanded Dracomon. "You used to go out of your way to prevent this sort of abuse of power."

"It is true, I do not approve of involving innocent humans in this conflict when our quarrel is with you. However, Queenmon's will must be carried out."

"Do you even hear yourself talking?"

Daichi held out a hand to silence his partner. "We're not gonna be able to get through to him without purifying him first, so save your breath. Don't worry though, I'm sure he'll be back to his old self before the day is out." He then turned to address Gallantmon. "Is there anything else you wanted to tell us?"

"Yes; Queenmon is extending a personal 'invitation' to Beelzemon to come and fight her alone. As for myself, I would like to extend a similar invitation to Examon the Grand. I wish to fulfill my duties without involving innocents, so we shall have our duel not far from here, where there are no people."

"Alright," stated Seiichi, "now that you have delivered your message, we would like to request a few minutes to decide our course of action."

"Very Well," replied Gallantmon, who then stepped out of the warehouse.

"So," began Daichi, "Who's going where?"

"What are you talking about?" question Ayame.

Seiichi however, seemed to understand what Daichi was thinking. For once. "Queenmon is deliberately trying to separate us. However, this can be used to our advantage She doesn't want us all together because she knows we're stronger that way. However, she's also leaving herself unprotected. With the rest of us occupying the Knights, Takeshi and Beelzemon can defeat her and purify Chie, which will bring all of this to an end."

"Besides, we can't just let the Royal Knights hurt the innocent people at those evacuation centres. It's really just a question of how we're going to split up."

"Daichi, we're going to go with Gallantmon," said Dracomon.

"I figured you'd say that. With no people around we won't be pressured to do anything rash to him. We might just be able to purify him ourselves while we're at it."

"Ayame and I will go to the east end," said Seiichi. "Our family would have evacuated there, so we'd like to make sure they're alright."

"I'm going to take Hanae to rescue her mother," stated Evan, with Hanae nodding in response. "Her partner isn't ready to fight yet, so she needs someone to to take care of the Knight."

"I guess that leaves Kioko and I to head North," stated Ren. "That's just as well; Saint Julianus is located near the northern edge of the city, so some of my future classmates might need my protection."

With their destinations in mind, the children left the warehouse. Gallantmon made no attempt to stop the other children from heading off to their respective locations. Daichi and Dracomon waited until all of the others had left, before Gallantmon led the two of them off. Although they were all separated, Daichi knew they could succeed. They had done it before after all.

**Author's Notes: **Damn that took forever. Seriously it took me a month to crank out this chapter for reasons I cannot understand. I must be having a bit of a creative low right now, or maybe its something else. Hope you enjoyed it.


	18. Duel of Knights

Chapter 17: Duel of Knights

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

After all of the other children had left, Daichi and Dracomon followed Gallantmon as he led them away from the warehouse as well. Daichi felt a bit worried about leaving the wizards, but he had known them to be incredibly resilient. He also had faith that his friends would all pull through in their own battles, and they would meet up at the end of the day victoriously. However, he still had to do his part, and at least keep Gallantmon occupied while Takeshi found a way to purify Chie.

Gallantmon, Dracomon and Daichi were all silent as the Royal Knight led them to the site of their intended duel. They left the harbour area and moved into a suburb. Daichi was worried about people being around, but there were none to be seen. Eventually they can to a park, smaller than the central park where the children had first met but still fairly sizable. There wasn't a soul around to be seen.

"There are no humans in this area," declared Gallantmon. "Will this suffice for our duel?"

"You bet," replied Dracomon, who then looked to Daichi expectantly.

Daichi nodded and brought out his Digivice for what he hoped would be the last time. He released Ambrosius, which Dracomon placed a hand on. He and the weapon were covered in bright light, with the usual declaration of 'DRACOMON WARP EVOLUTION!' When the light faded, Examon stood before Daichi and Gallantmon, towering over both of them. He let out a roar and pointed his lance at Gallantmon.

"Since this is going to be a formal duel," began Examon, "perhaps we should set up some rules before we begin."

"It is good to see you haven't lost your sense of propriety," replied Gallantmon. "Very well, you may name your term first."

"Alright then. This duel is between the two of us. You will not make an attempt to harm Daichi unless you defeat me first, which you won't."

"Very well. However, as you know I am at a disadvantage against you when it comes to power. To compensate, I would like to call upon my mount to improve my mobility."

"Your mount?"

Gallantmon raised a gauntlet covered hand to his face and, although he was wearing a helmet, somehow managed to whistle. Shortly after this call, Examon looked up to see something flying towards the two of them at incredible speed. It came to a stop just above the ground in front of Gallantmon. It looked like a cross between a dragon, a bird and a tank, although it had landing struts instead of treads.

"You remember Grani, do you not?" enquired Gallantmon.

"Of course," replied Examon. "It's just been a while since I've seen him."

"Hold on," cut in Daichi. "Two on one isn't exactly fair."

"Relax buddy. Grani is just Gallantmon's mount; he uses it to get around better, not to fight. It's like a... veliche."

"I think you mean 'vehicle'."

"Yeah that."

"Alright, if you think it's fair then go for it."

"Do you have any other terms?"

"Nope, I think we're good to go."

"I'll just get out of your way," said Daichi as he moved away from the two Royal Knights.

Grani lowered itself to the ground, allowing Gallantmon to step onto its back, placing one foot on either side of an engine on its back. Grani hummed loudly and pushed off from the ground, climbing until it was hovering a few feet in the air. Examon stepped back from his opponent and raised Ambrosius, bracing it with his other arm. The two Knights stared at each other vehemently, neither one of them flinching or backing away from the other. Daichi was glad that he had retreated to a safe distance, because he could tell that things were about to get ugly.

In a split second, everything changed. The two knights lunged at each other with massive force, Gallantmon zooming in on Grani to meet Examon's thrust of Ambrosius. Gallantmon's Gram and Aegis had once again manifested on his arms, and between the two of them he caught the tip of Ambrosius. After the impact, both combatants had stopped dead, but not for lack of a struggle. Grani was displaying an incredible amount of thrust, making it a wonder that Gallantmon was able to keep his footing. Opposite him, both of Examon's arms were straining visibly to hold back Gallantmon's charge, which shook Ambrosius to the hilt.

In an unexpected move, Grani reversed thrust, hurling Gallantmon backwards away from his larger opponent. With all of his force suddenly acting on nothing, Examon lurched forward violently. Ambrosius rammed into the ground, forcibly shifting a large quantity of earth and embedding itself in the wake. Taking advantage of this, Gallantmon and Grani once again charged in with full force. Examon, needing to free his weapon, shifted his great wings to fold in front of him, directly into Gallantmon's path. Grani collided with Examon with all the force of a car hitting a brick wall, pushing the dragon back hard enough to leave claw marks in the ground. However, Ambrosius was now free, and Gallantmon was forced to pull back.

Examon raised Ambrosius and bellowed 'Dragonic Impact!', discharging a bolt of energy at Gallantmon. The smaller knight stood his ground and raised his lance, calling out 'Lightning Joust!', unleashing a blue spear of power at Examon. The two attacks collided with each other, creating an explosive burst between them, although they were both far enough back to be unaffected by it. However, a see-saw that happened to be caught in the blast wasn't so lucky. The plaything was completely obliterated, with only a crater left behind afterwards.

After all their fierce exchanges, the two knights paused for a time, perhaps taking a moment to rest. They simply stood and observed each other, unmoving and unflinching, barely seeming to even breathe. The stillness was broken by a short breeze, which itself fell dead when it reached the unwavering knights. There was also silence to accompany the stillness, as neither knight spoke and there was nothing else around to make a sound save Daichi, who remained silent.

After what seemed like an eternity the silence was broken by the calm voice of Gallantmon. His soft words were almost unable to break the silence, but they were there nonetheless. "So Examon, it seems you have not lost any of your capabilities. I find this surprising, considering whom your loyalties now lay with."

"You're not in the best position to talk about false loyalties," came Examon's reply, his booming voice shattering the near silence of his opponent's words.

"My loyalties are to the Digital World, the one who rules it, and those who reside in it. Yours are to a Demon who once tried to destroy that world and those residents."

"My loyalty is to my friends and companions, and that includes you."

"Then it seems you are in a position of conflict. On one hand, your 'friends' as you seem to think they are, and on the other is us, your comrades. I wonder which you will choose, that is if you are making the choice freely, which is highly suspect."

"Regardless of what you think, _I_ think I'll choose both."

"Brash and foolhardy as always Examon; it seems that there is no way to get through to you."

"Well; you were the one who was given the title of 'The Wise', since you could always see past just about anything. However, I think it's time for an eye opener."

Gallantmon was taken by surprise when, without any warning, Examon kicked off his hind legs and threw himself headlong at the smaller knight. With his wings tucked in around his body and Ambrosius thrust forward he had all the speed of a bullet, and with that speed came the power provided by his tremendous mass. Gallantmon barely had any time to react, and had Grani burn at full thrust to get out of Examon's path. The knight's mount launched the pair of them upwards with enough kick to leave a crater just below his lift off point.

Examon saw his opponent launch upwards and, just as he was passing under, he spread his wings to their fullest extent. This had the effect of crating enough drag to stop him dead in his path. At the same time, he flipped himself around and pointed Ambrosius straight upwards. Taking the opportunity he had created for himself, he roared 'Dragonic Impact', and fired straight upwards. With all of his thrust having been directed upwards, Grani was unable to move in any other direction before Examon's blast caught up with him. The energy bolt pierced his right wing, which produced a small burst of flame and caused it to smoke incessantly.

Between the damage to its wing and the constant use of such heavy thrust, Grani was unable to stay aloft. He shook violently and let out a painful mechanical whirring sound, before falling towards the ground. Gallantmon lowered himself down, setting one knee down on Grani's broken wing. Just as his mount was about to hit the ground, the Knight of Wisdom rolled his body over and off of his mount. He fell the last few feet onto his shoulder, proceeding to roll off the impact and catch himself on one knee. Grani struck the ground and skidded to a halt behind him, leaving a trail of upturned earth in his wake.

Gallantmon raised himself back to a standing position and turned to face Examon, who had just gotten back to his feet as well. "You shall not go unpunished for harming Grani," called the Knight, much louder than his previous speech.

"He'll be fine," retorted Examon. "I've seen him get back up after worse. However, I think you should be a little more worried about yourself. Without Grani to help you, you haven't got much chance against me in a duel."

"That is true. This unfortunately means that I shall have to resort to something I would have preferred to avoid. With or without my honour I shall fulfil Queenmon's duty. I consider it worthwhile if I can free you, my old friend."

"What are you talking about?"

Without responding to Examon's question, Gallantmon raised his left arm, and with his shield, Aegis. The triangular markings around the outer edge began to light up, progressing in a clockwise direction around the shield. Once all the markings were lit, the entire shield began to glow, at which time Gallantmon simply stated 'Shield of the Just'. It was only then that Examon noticed where the shield was aimed; straight at Daichi. Daichi was only human, and would be unable to survive such a blast, or even avoid it in time. Examon roared furiously and hurled himself towards Daichi, while a massive lance of red coloured energy, tipped with gold, erupted from Aegis.

Daichi barely had time to register what had unfolded in front of him. He had seen Gallantmon raise his shield towards him, but until he called out the attack, he hadn't known the danger he was in. He knew that he wouldn't be able to flee or take the blast, so he looked to his partner, who had thrown himself towards the blast. Examon landed in front of Daichi just before the attack did, and unfurled his wings to their fullest once more.

Gallantmon's blast broke over Examon's wing, scattering upon impact. The scattered rays from the attack carved up the nearby landscape, but the brunt of it still fell on Examon's wings. When the attack finally ceased, the damage was done; Examon's wings were torn in several places and scorched throughout. He let out a painful howl and teetered on the spot, before falling backwards. He was in enough pain that the act of falling onto his damaged wings elicited no further exclamation. Daichi, who had dove aside for fear of his partner falling on him, now ran over to his side.

"Examon," he called, standing at the hilt end of Ambrosius, near the Digimon's shoulder. "Speak to me buddy."

"Owww," groaned Examon, exhaling slowly as he spoke. "You didn't get hit by any of the backlash did you?"

"No, I'm fine."

"That's good; I did my job then."

"Don't say things like that; you're gonna make people think you're dying."

"I'd prefer to avoid that, if possible."

"A touching display," cut in the calm, cool voice of Gallantmon. "However, I'm afraid I must cut it short." The Royal Knight approached Daichi and his fallen partner, at which time Daichi stood up to meet him, although he fell short of the Knight's stature by almost half. "Although I regret harming a comrade, I shall now see to it that it was not a vain effort. Relinquish your device and you shall not be harmed, although I shall still escort you to Queenmon for her to pass judgement."

"Like hell!" roared Daichi, clenching his Digivice tightly. "There is no way I'm going to surrender, especially to someone who'd take such a cheap shot at me and my partner. I have a duty to defeat you, not just for my own sake, but for the sake of my friends, and this whole world for that matter."

"Defeat me? How exactly do you intend to accomplish that?"

Before Daichi could respond, his Digivice erupted in a flash of brilliant blue light. The light cause Gallantmon to shield his eyes, while Daichi brought the device up to his face, unaffected. Printed on the Digivice's screen, in plain English, were the words 'Holy Armour', although Daichi couldn't read them due to his tendency to fall asleep in English class. Nonetheless, he was struck with a flash of inspiration as something seemed to jump into his mind.

"Like this," Daichi said simply.

Daichi then placed a hand on Ambrosius, and held his Digivice high above his head. He called out 'Engage; Holy Armour Fusion!' and pressed the button on the right hand side. The blue light that had erupted from the Digivice earlier now expanded into a massive sphere, engulfing both Daichi and Examon alike. Daichi felt a bizarre sensation while he was bathed in the light, that he found difficult to put into thought. He felt as though something had entered his body, and also that he had somehow become greater than he was before.

After a few moments that seemed to stretch beyond the normal span of a moment, the explosion of light dispersed, and Gallantmon beheld that which emerged. It was in fact Daichi, but from the neck down he was now clad in shimmering, metallic blue armour. On his right arm was Ambrosius, although its size had been reduced to match Daichi's stature. On his left was a triangular shield, of similar size to Gallantmon's Aegis. Firmly set in the centre of his chest was his Digivice, the screen lit up with a soft blue. Instinctively, Daichi called out 'Holy Warrior of Diligence!', although immediately after he began frantically looking himself over, not entirely sure what had happened.

Although his helm hid his expression, Gallantmon was shocked, and took a step back from the new arrival. "What... is this?"

_"Daichi!", _came the voice of Examon. Daichi was startled, as the voice seemed to come from inside his mind. _"Daichi, are you as wierded out as I am right now?"_

"I would think so," replied Daichi, although he was by appearances speaking to no one. "What just happened anyways?"

_I have no idea, aside from the fact that we seem to be combined into one right now. However, I can tell you one thing: right now my power is coursing through you. Not only that, but it's definitely more power than I had by myself."_

"Then I say we put it to good use." Daichi then smirked at Gallantmon, noticing his apparent shock. "Giving any thought to surrendering?"

"Preposterous. I don't know what sort of trick this is, but I shall still carry out Queenmon's will. I shall also see to it that whatever you did to Examon is undone."

"Good luck with that."

Gallantmon gave Daichi an unseen sneer and raised Gram. 'Lightning Joust!' he roared, launching a blue spear of energy at his opponent. Daichi smirked in response, and held his shield arm out in front of him. Unflinching, he had a cool confidence about him that even Gallantmon noticed. The Royal Knight's attack impacted the shield of the Holy Warrior in a large burst, which settled into a cloud of smoke after a few moments. From within this smoke, Daichi stepped forward until he had cleared the cloud, neither his shield or armour bearing so much as a scratch. Gallantmon took another step back, unnerved by his opponent's strength and unsure of what to do in the face of it.

"My turn," said Daichi simply.

He held Ambrosius out in front of him, the tip of which spread apart to reveal a crackling orb of electricity. Daichi smirked once again as he called out, as he had heard his partner call out before, 'Pendragon's Glory!' The small orb erupted into a massive stream of golden energy that blazed towards the Royal Knight. Gallantmon raised Aegis, hoping to counter the attack with one of his own. He did not act quickly enough however, and was instead engulfed by the blast.

When Daichi ceased his attack, and the smoke cleared, he saw the condition of his opponent. Gallantmon had fallen to one knee, heaving and creaking visibly. Gram was gone, a massive chunk had been carved out of Aegis, and the rest of his armour was riddled with cracks and scorch marks. The fallen knight released his hold on his shield, which clattered to the ground before dissolving into a mass of dispersing data. He lowered his head and spoke wearily to Daichi.

"It is finished. I have failed. Finish me and be quick about it, I've no desire to suffer."

_"I have a better idea," _said Examon from within Daichi.

"Right." Daichi focused his thoughts to the Digivice embedded in his chest, which he could somehow 'feel'. The device emitted a stream of pale light at Gallantmon, who glowed momentarily before fading.

The Knight raised his head, and slowly got to his feet. "Thank you greatly, my old friend."

"Huh?" was all Daichi could manage. "Is he talking to you Examon?"

_"I think so, but how does he even know I'm in here?"_

"How do you know Examon is here with me?"

"I remember the act of you two merging, as well as the events of our duel which led up to that union. I must say that I am ashamed to call myself a Royal Knight after such cowardly fighting."

"Wait a minute, you can remember what happened? Before when we purified Digimon under Queenmon's control, they had no memories of what had transpired."

"I almost wish I did not have such memories, but they are there regardless. The entire time Queenmon was in command, there was a struggle within me against her control. I and the other knights are strong, but her power was greater. However, it is possible that the struggle within me against that power is what has allowed me to retain the memory of what transpired during that time."

"Well that saves me the trouble of explaining what's going on right now."

"Indeed. Also, I owe you a great deal of apology, as much of your more recent hardships came about by my doing. I saw that those devices of yours wrested control of Digimon from Queenmon. This, when passing through my mind tainted with Queenmon's thoughts, caused the assumption of control, which is what prompted us to target you Children of Virtue in earnest."

"Well, I guess we can mostly overlook that, considering the extenuating circumstances."

"Even so, I would endeavour to help you conquest Queenmon and free the Digital World from her grasp, to atone for my misdeeds under her rule."

"As much as we appreciate the offer, it has to be one of us that beats her. Queenmon is actually a human, who was transformed into a Digimon by corrupt data in her body. We have to purify that data in order to change her back to normal."

"Most peculiar, but if that is how it is then so be it. My offer of assistance was little more than boasting anyways, considering my current ragged condition."

"Don't worry about it."

Gallantmon seemed amused. "That is very much something I would expect Examon to say. What shall you do now then?"

"Well, Takeshi is probably gonna be better off facing Queenmon by himself, so right now my biggest concern would be for the people the other knights are on their way to attack."

"Then it would be pertinent for you to go and assist your comrades so as to protect them from mine. In the meantime, I shall tend to myself and Grani. If I can, I shall endeavour to aid you in stopping my comrades from harming any more innocent people. I wish you the best of luck."

With that, the Royal Knight limped over to his fallen mount, which he then dislodged from the ground and began checking over. Daichi then turned away from Gallantmon, and looked towards the city. His friends were fighting the other knights, and with his new power he could surely be of great help to them. From his back, a pair of draconic wings telescoped outwards, until their span was twice the width of his body. Between them an engine emerged, which roared to life. Daichi, with wings and engine readied, took off, and flew towards his friends, hoping he could make it in time to provide aid.

**Author's Notes: **FINALLY! Man, that took forever. However, I believe that the wait will have been worth it (at least I hope so). I truly believe that this is some of my best work yet, and hope you all agree. I also endeavoured to give Daichi and Examon a few ranks in badass during that fight. You guys will have to tell me if it worked, or if it was overdone a little. Thank you very much for your patience, and as always, thanks for reading.


	19. Academic Assault

Chapter 18: Academic Assault

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon**

The Saint Julianus Academy was a private High School that received most of its funding from the Japanese military. Its existed primarily for the children of former or current military veterans, and the education programs all carried a certain amount of inclination towards military application. Ren had originally not wished to attend this school, but later changed his mind after finding out about the school's pre-medicinal studies program. He believe that it would give him a leg up on his goal of becoming a doctor. This goal had been partially inspired by Chie, as her condition had been previously untreatable before a certain Digital intervention. Unfortunately, it seemed to have had an unfortunate side effect.

Presently though, the Julianus school itself was being used as a makeshift evacuation shelter. The previous day's assault by the machines of unknown origin, and the subsequent destruction of that army had left many people displaced for fear of attack. The message that had followed the invasion from the one who was apparently responsible was just as perplexing, leaving many questions on the mind of the public. Who were the invaders? Where did they come from? Why was a group of children involved? Unfortunately these questions would be left unanswered for some time.

There was one thing though that the people should have been more worried about, even though they did not known of it yet. One of the Royal Knights was approaching the school, carrying very hostile intentions. The sea of people, tents, and the occasional animal came to an immediate standstill when the golden armour of Magnamon came into view across from the school. The civilians watched intently as the strange blue man with gold armour slowly walked towards the grounds.

A pair of police officers that had been patrolling the borders of the school now hurried to intercept the newcomer. They placed themselves on the opposite curb from Magnamon, reaching towards their handguns. They had every intention of firing on the Knight should he attempt to harm the people, but they were also worried, not knowing anything about who or what he really was. They had also been told by other officers of the previous encounter with the tank like creatures, in which case a shotgun blast had barely done anything.

Magnamon observed the two officers in silence, his eyes the only visible part of his face for his helmet. He took a deep breath, and simply declared 'Magna Missile'. Part of the shoulder pads of his armour sprung open at this declaration, revealing a small, round chamber beneath each. From each of these two chambers, a small, gold coloured rocket emerged. The rockets ignited and fired, flying towards the police. The officers barely had time to jump aside as the missiles came at them, impacting the ground right where they had been standing. A small crater took that place now, with the officers sprawled to either side, attempting to stand.

Magnamon closed the open parts of his shoulder armour and let out a sigh. "Man, I was really hoping they'd put up a fight first. Just doesn't seem right to beat someone who can't defend themself. Still, Queenmon's will must be carried out. Especially considering it was her who made me a Royal Knight, after Examon deserted us. I hope Gallantmon can bring him back over though; it would be terrible if he had to suffer for the deeds of that Demon Lord."

Magnamon looked back up to the building he had been approaching. Numerous people had gathered in response to the sound of the explosion. They seemed to be looking back and forth between him, the crater, and the fallen police officers. Some were beginning to back away, while others seemed frozen in shock. Magnamon took a single step forward, at which time one of the humans present let out a scream, and all that were still outside began turning around and heading towards the building.

Magnamon was about to continue, but suddenly jumped back several feet. As he did, a ray of energy passed in front of him, singeing the front of his chest plate. After landing, Magnamon turned to see Darkdramon flying low towards him, right hand outstretched with cannon bared. He waited as Darkdramon slipped in front of him, now standing between the Knight and the school complex. Shortly afterwards, Ren came running after, taking a stand next to his partner.

"I take it that," began Magnamon, addressing the newcomer, "since you fired the first shot, you have no intention of surrendering?"

"Whether I intended to surrender or not," replied Darkdramon, lowering his cannon, "I would have fired anyways to keep you from getting closer to those humans."

"Does that mean you are surrendering?"

"No."

"Then what, pray tell, does it mean?"

"It means I'm going to defeat you and protect those innocent people."

"Bold words, considering your opponent is a Royal Knight. Still, it's better this way. I didn't really want to involve innocents and now I don't have to. Seeing as you've pretty much thrown yourself in front of me."

"I know what you Knights are capable of. Or have you forgotten that one of your number is our friend?"

"You would do well not to taint Examon's name, calling him a friend of the servants of a Demon."

"Man you guys really have this backwards. Unfortunately, there's no talking sense to you at this point, which just means I'll have to beat it into you instead."

"I think I'm going to enjoy this a lot more than I originally planned."

"Ren, I'll take care of this guy. Once I have him down, I'll call to you so you can purify him. For now though you should probably make sure the rest of the people in that building are okay."

"Sure thing, just make sure you don't get hurt."

With that, Ren turned away from the two Digimon just as they began running towards each other. He could hear them beginning to clash, but focused on the building in front of him. He knew it well, since he had visited there a few times in preparation for his studies. He hadn't thought he would be coming there again before the term started, especially under his current circumstances. He stopped when he reached the crater by the gate, where the police officers had been. One of them had managed to get to his feet, although he seemed a bit shaky. The other seemed to have lost consciousness.

Ren knelt down next to the unconscious officer and hoisted an arm over his shoulders. He tried to lift the man and found him strangely light. He looked to his left and saw that the other police officer had hoisted his partners other arm. He nodded to Ren and the two of them lifted the unconscious officer to his feet. They walked with him in to past the gate and into the school yard, where some of the spectators still stood. As Ren and the officers neared the school, the spectators followed them like lemmings, and continued to do so into the building.

After getting inside, Ren and the officer set the other down on a nearby bench. "Thank you," said the officer, although his breath and speech were somewhat shallow.

"No need, but you should sit down as well. You're not much better off than your partner."

"Right," replied the officer, before wandering over to another seat nearby.

After seeing to the two officers, Ren turned to head back outside in order to check on his partner. However, as he faced the exit, he found that between it and him stood a couple dozen people. They had a variety of expressions between them, but regardless of expression, they were all focused on him. Ren wasn't sure how to react to this attention, so he simply stood there, dumbfounded. After a few moments of silence, one of the men at the front of the group stepped forward.

"You all saw it, didn't you?" exclaimed the man, waving a finger at Ren.

"Pardon..." was all Ren could manage before the man burst out again.

"He came in here with that mechanical creature thing right after the officers stationed out front got attacked. He must be involved with this whole mess!"

"What do you mean..." again Ren was cut off before he could finish a sentence.

"Don't try to deny it, boy."

"Well of course I'm involved, but it's not..."

"See, he admits it. Come to think of it, the news said those things were looking for a bunch of kids from around here. You're one of them, aren't you?"

Ren took a deep breath. "Yes, my name is Ren Tsurugi, and I am one of the ones they're looking for."

"I knew it!" the man's exclamation was met with a series of murmurs from the rest of the crowd.

"Yes, you were right. What of it?"

"What of it? If you're one of those kids they were looking for, then you're the cause of this whole mess. Those things came here from wherever looking for you. It's because of you that everyone here has been displaced from their homes and the city is in turmoil."

"While it's true they came here looking for us, it's a bit more complicated than that."

The man seemed to ignore Ren's protest. "If you had any human decency you'd turn yourself over to them and let the rest of us get back to our normal lives." More murmurs ran through the crowd, although no one else spoke up at all.

"I'm afraid I cannot do that."

"And why not?"

"I told you, it's not so simple as you seem to think. The world they come from is in turmoil right now and it's up to me and the others to set it right."

"What should we care about their turmoil?" came a woman's voice from the crowd. "We're all in turmoil right now because of this fiasco, and it's your fault for bringing them here."

"Be that as it may, my friends and I have an obligation to set things right for them as much as for ourselves."

"What do you know of obligations; you're just a bunch of kids." More murmurs, this time louder and perhaps more determined.

"I know all of you are upset and probably angry, but there's more at stake here than you know. More so than just this city, their entire world is in jeopardy because of this incident."

"So what about their world? You're from this one!"

"I don't expect any of you to understand; you've never been there, and you haven't seen or done the things we have. However, you have to know that no matter what, we cannot simply give this up."

The crowd seemed to be getting more aggressive, spurred both by the harsh words of those who spoke out, and Ren's explicit denial of their wishes. He was beginning to wonder how he was going to get away from them without a fight. The police officer he had helped was still out cold on the bench, and the other seemed to have wandered off. Tension was think in the air between him and the crowd, and he knew it was only a matter of time until something caused it to snap. However, he did not expect that thing to be a series of beeps and flashes from his Digivice.

Ren instinctively knew that something was wrong, and before he knew exactly what he was doing, he leapt at the man standing out from the crowd and pushed him down to the floor. Ren's instincts served him well, as moments after he dove out of the way, the wall next to where he had been standing caved in with a massive crunch. Ren stood up and looks at the broken wall to see Darkdramon lying in a heap amongst the rubble.

Ren took a brief look outside the hole to see Magnamon standing nearby, one of his legs outstretched in what must have been a powerful kick. The people crowd that had been hounding Ren now shuffled back, fearful of the presence of the two Digimon. Ren went over to Darkdramon, who was pushing himself into a sitting position. Magnamon had dropped his kick stance and was now slowly approaching the pair.

"Are you alright Darkdramon?" asked Ren, supporting his partner's back.

"I've been better," was his reply. "Who would have thought such a little guy could pack such a wallop."

"Can you still fight?"

"I really wish I could give you a definite yes there but..." Darkdramon gestured to various points on his armour that had been damaged, including a massive indentation where he had just been kicked.

"I'm here with you, so don't give up. We have to take care of the innocent people here as well, even if they don't appreciate it."

"What's that?"

"Never mind, focus on what we have to do right now."

"Yeah, bring down that Knight."

"Somehow I don't see that happening," cut in Magnamon, who was now standing just outside the hole in the wall.

"Whether you see it happening or not, it's going to," sneered Darkdramon.

"That's right, two worlds hang in the balance right now, so there's no way we're going to lose."

At that moment, the screen of Ren's Digivice lit up with a bright, vivid green. He held it up and saw the words 'Holy Armour' flashing on the screen. Ren smirked, somehow knowing what to do. He pressed the right side button on his Digivice and firmly declared 'Engage, Holy Armour Fusion!' A sphere of yellow light burst forth from the flashing Digivice, enveloping Ren and his supported partner. When the sphere dispersed, Ren emerged clad in dark green armour, and let out 'Holy Warrior of Balance!'

Ren's armour was strikingly similar to that donned by Daichi, although he himself didn't know that yet. Over his right arm was Gliepnir, arrayed in the same way Darkdramon wore it. Over his left was the same cannon hidden underneath Darkdramon's left gauntlet, although in this case it was not concealed. A pair of cables extended from the base of the armour's neck, and connected to a visor that was held up in front of Ren's eyes. Like Daichi before him, Ren's Digivice adorned the middle of his chest plate, emitting a deep green hue.

"This is different," remarked Ren, looking himself over.

_"You're telling me," _came the voice of Darkdramon, resounding inside Ren's head. _"Although I feel better right now than I did after Magnamon's beating."_

"Good to know. I kinda like this actually."

_"Why's that?"_

"Because now I we can fight together, instead of putting the burden on you all the time."

_"Awesome."_

"What the?" exclaimed Magnamon, taking a few steps back from the Holy Warrior.

Before Magnamon could make any further moves, Ren dashed out of the building and pressed the now open claw of Gliepnir against Magnamon's midriff. With a flick of his wrist, the jets on the claw ignited, and Magnamon was pushed backwards by the force. Once the claw reached the length of its cable, Ren withdrew it, and observed that he had pushed Magnamon all the way across the street and into the side of a building. Glad that the fight had been taken away from the civilians, Ren quickly ran out to the street to meet Magnamon.

As Ren reached him, Magnamon had extracted himself from the wall, a small part of which crumbled behind him. He stumbled on his first step, but quickly regained his balance. However, this did not escape Ren's sight, which was enhanced by the visor in front of his eyes. He saw that several parts of Magnamon's armour had suffered micro-fractures, which he knew would provide him with an opening to end the fight. Ren readied the barrel on his left arm, and glared at Magnamon through the visor.

Magnamon, seeing that Ren was about to attack, sidestepped him quickly and then leapt in the air. His shoulder pads opened once again to reveal their missile compartments. He bellowed 'Magna Missile', discharging a pair of rockets at Ren. While the knight had been doing this, Ren had kept his gaze on him, allowing his visor to pinpoint the targets. Not a moment after Magnamon launched his missiles, Ren raised his cannon as simply stated 'Refractor Blast.' Instead of a large burst of energy, dozens of small streams issued forth from the barrel, and started to zigzag in midair, seeking their targets. Two of them connected with Magnamon's missiles, destroying them before they could reach Ren. The rest of the streams flew on to Magnamon himself, and drove themselves into the various micro-fractures Ren had targeted.

There were numerous small explosions as the fractures expanded and Magnamon's armour shattered. As the fragments fell from his body, they dissolved into streams of data and disappeared. Magnamon himself now plummeted to the ground and impacted with a loud thud, indenting the ground where he landed. He seemed to shimmer for a moment, with a light that resembled that seen when a Digimon devolved. He raised himself to a seated position, and Ren saw that he had changed. His features were reptilian, with a horn at the brim of his head. There was also an 'X' mark on his stomach that Ren and Darkdramon recognized.

"Isn't that..." began Ren.

_"I think it is," _came Darkdramon's reply from within.

Ren recognized the Digimon in front of him as Exveemon, a Digimon they had met in their excursion to the Digital World. Seeing this, Ren lowered his weapon, as not only was Exveemon merely a Champion level Digimon, he was also a caretaker of the village where new Digimon were born. Knowing that the fight was certainly over, Ren stepped a bit closer to Exveemon and tapped his Digivice. A stream of light engulfed Exveemon again, this time without any visible change.

Exveemon rubbed his head and then looked around, seemingly confused. "Where am I? Did I miss something."

"This might take a little while to explain," replied Ren.

"There is no need to trouble yourself with that," came a familiar voice.

Ren looked to the side to see that Wisemon and Magimon had just stepped out of a transportation array. "We can take care of it," said Magimon.

"How come you two always show up at just the right time?"

"After we awoke from the concussion given by Gallantmon's attack, we set out to find where you had all gone to. After we figured out the situation, we decided to stay off to the side until we could be of use. As you can tell, we weren't really in a position to assist in the fight."

"Looks like we can still help a bit though."

"Um, I hate to interrupt," cut in Exveemon, "but I gotta get back to the Primary Village. The baby Digimon are gonna be in trouble if I'm gone too long."

"We shall escort him back to the Primary Village and explain what happened. You should see to helping the others keep the Knights away from Queenmon."

"Right."

As the wizards prepared a transport circle for themselves and Exveemon, Ren pondered where he should head to. He knew that Daichi could handle himself, and that Hanae was in good hands with Evan. The twins would be fine so long as they were together as well, especially if any of them could perform the same technique he had with Darkdramon. His thoughts then turned back to Kioko. Before coming here, he had left her alone to face Sleipmon. Since she was the closest and most likely to need help, he decided to search her out, and ran back into the city.

**Author's Notes: **Man that took a long time; sorry for the delay everyone. I was again plagued with a creative slump of some sort and was only able to start writing again recently. I owe some thanks to the person who left the 37th review of Dynasty, as his words did provide some of the inspiration to finally get going again. Whoever you are, thank you very much, and I hope you more than anyone enjoys this chapter. As for the chapter itself, it was interesting to focus on the human perspective instead of the fight between Darkdramon and Magnamon. It was something different to try and I hope it worked out well. As always, thanks to everyone for reading.


	20. Innocent Victim

Chapter 19: Innocent Victim

**Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon (still)**

Hanae held tightly onto Paomon, and occasionally looked back at Evan, in who's lap she was sitting. The two of them were riding in the compartment behind Gigaseadramon's head, and although they didn't have to worry about falling out, the ride wasn't exactly smooth. Evan had proposed this method of transportation so that they could reach their destination quickly to prevent any potential harm to Hanae's mother. Evan had ridden this way before, but Hanae had not, and was trying not to get sick, since she might mess up the compartment or make Gigaseadramon sick by doing so.

"Hang in there," said Evan, patting the younger girl's head. "We're almost there."

"I'm fine," grumbled Hanae, although she wasn't exactly truthful.

Although the continued to claim that she was fine, Evan saw that Hanae was visibly relieved when Gigaseadramon finally came to a stop. The great serpent lowered his head to the ground, and the compartment slid open, allowing the two of them to exit onto the street. Hanae took a deep breath and stretched, glad to be out of the cramped compartment. Evan stood next to her and began to look around where they had stopped. They were at a major intersection right at the edge of the city; on one side were the usual skyscrapers, but on the other was a more open, suburban area. There was no sign of a Royal Knight or Hanae's mother.

"You sure this is the place Gigaseadramon?" asked Evan, fishing out his Digivice. "I don't see anything."

"Yeah, I can feel a strong Digimon around here. I think it's one we've met before too."

Sure enough, Evan's Digivice had a signal flashing on it very close to where they now stood. Hanae was holding onto Paomon still, so she hadn't drawn out her Digivice to help pinpoint it. Instead, Paomon started to growl, causing Hanae to look up at just the right moment. The sound of metallic footsteps accompanied the form of Craniamon, walking briskly towards the two children. Beside him, paling in comparison height wise, was a woman with mid length blonde hair who greatly resembled Hanae. She was hanging her head, and looked rather terrified to be next to the knight.

"Mom!" exclaimed Hanae, taking a few steps forward.

At hearing her call out, Hanae's mother lifted her head, and held a hand up to her face. "Hanae!" she exclaimed, "thank goodness you're alright."

The woman looked like she was about to run towards Hanae, but Craniamon held a gauntlet in front of her. She stopped dead and took a few steps back, afraid to come into contact with the Digimon. "Thank you for coming, Children of Virtue," stated Craniamon, in his hollow, metallic voice.

"You'd better not have hurt my mom!" yelled Hanae, not the least bit intimidated by the knight.

"You needn't worry," replied Craniamon. "I am under orders not to harm her so long as you cooperate."

Gigaseadramon raised himself up over Craniamon, but the knight didn't spare so much as a glance for him. Their previous encounter led him to believe that the serpent was not a legitimate threat. "How exactly would you like us to cooperate?" he demanded of the Knight, bringing his head in closer.

"My demands are simple. The two Children of Virtue will surrender their control devices to me, and I shall take you to Queenmon for her to pass judgement."

"That doesn't sound like a good deal."

Evan shushed his partner; "We have to make sure Hanae and her mom are safe, maybe we can work something out."

"I do not think there is too much for you to worry about," stated Craniamon. "Once her Majesty has taken care of the Demon Lord Beelzemon, your judgement will likely be lessened, if it turns out he was in fact the mastermind of all that has happened."

"What happens if we refuse?"

"I'm afraid that my orders are clear in that case: If you resist, then I am authorized to use whatever force necessary to subdue you, even if it is not direct." With statement, he shot a glance at Hanae's mother.

Evan was concerned; he had to make sure Hanae's mother made it out unscathed, since she had no part in any of the events involved with the Digital World at all. However, he didn't want to surrender either, especially if it meant putting Hanae in harms way in the process. Perhaps Craniamon would accept just him and his partner in exchange for the safety of Hanae and her mother. He knew Gigaseadramon would go along with it if he asked, especially if it would keep Hanae safe, but he also knew that his partner wouldn't want to give up so easily.

Evan's train of thought was broken by shouting. Not from Hanae, but from her mother; "Hanae, I'm fine!" she called. "I'll be alright, so please just run away. Get away from these monsters! Please, I couldn't bear it if you got hurt again."

Evan looked to Hanae, and was surprised to see that she had a firm look of resolution on her face. "I'm sorry mom, but I'm not running," she stated firmly. "I'm not leaving you or Evan or anyone else behind, ever! I'm going to do whatever it takes to make sure that all of us get out of here safely together."

With Hanae's bold words, her mother stepped back, her face lit up mostly with surprise, but a small hint of pride could be seen as well. At the same time, her Digivice began to flash, and Paomon was bathed in the light of evolution. The small puffball hopped down from her arms as he evolved, landing on the ground as Labramon once again. He looked up at Hanae and smiled broadly.

"I am here with you Hanae," he said, "and I will protect you and your mother."

Evan was inspired by Hanae's words, and shot a stern look at Craniamon. "I think it's pretty clear what our answer is."

Craniamon did not seemed pleased in the slightest. "Then I am afraid I have no choice but to respond in kind." He held out right right arm, into which the halberd he had wielded before materialized. He held the weapon aloft, and seemed as though he was going to use it on Hanae's mother.

"I don't think so," roared Gigaseadramon, diving at the Royal Knight with all his weight.

Craniamon did not hesitate in his response, bringing his right hand back around to his side. At the same time, he brought forth his left, into which his shield immediately formed. Like before, Gigaseadramon collided head on with Craniamon's shield, which again did not budge in the slightest. However, Gigaseadramon was pleased, as he had managed to divert Craniamon's attention just long enough. The Royal Knight looked aside to see Hanae gripping her mother's hand firmly and beginning to run away from his side, Labramon following closely behind them.

Craniamon turned to follow the fleeing pair, but Gigaseadramon swerved around him to his front, cutting off his movement. After that, the great serpent began to surround Craniamon in a coil, intending to keep him from moving at all. The knight certainly did not want to be surrounded, and leapt over the coiling Gigaseadramon. However, at the last moment he was tripped up by Gigaseadramon raising his body, and had to roll into his landing to avoid landing flat on his back. This allowed the serpent to swerve around and face him again, limiting his movements.

"I think I see now," remarked Gigaseadramon. "You've got great reflexes, but you can't move around all that fast. Guess that's why they call you 'The Steady'."

"I'm afraid you have it wrong on both counts, Gigaseadramon," replied Craniamon in a curt manner differing from his normal tone of voice. "I gained my title by standing firm against any and all threats that the Digital World faces, not simply by standing still where others jump and dart around. I am Craniamon the Sturdy, and I shall show you what I mean."

Craniamon bellowed the last part of his speech before leaping up above Gigaseadramon's coils, brandishing his halberd. Evan's partner moved to follow the knight upwards, but was cut short as he flipped in mid-air, and dove at him, spinning his halberd as he approached. Gigaseadramon swerved the length of his body to avoid the oncoming attack. However, Craniamon followed suit by twisting his body in an almost unnatural fashion, bringing his weapon down on the serpent's midsection. Gigaseadramon was hurled back to the ground roughly, while Craniamon landed in an almost graceful manner behind him.

"Perhaps you should improve upon your own movements," sneered Craniamon, "before criticizing mine."

"Are you alright Gigaseadramon?" exclaimed Evan, although he gave his partner space to get back up.

"Just fine," replied Gigaseadramon, his voice carrying a hint of falsehood. He righted himself and lifted off the ground, twisting around to face Craniamon.

Gigaseadramon let out a roar and raised himself up to a good portion of his full length. He opened his mouth and began to draw in energy. 'River of Power!' he roared after the energy stopped gathering, then unleashing a huge stream of green light. The stream fell on Craniamon and burst around him, causing pieces of pavement to go flying and turning several nearby walls and windows into Swiss-cheese. Gigaseadramon held the torrential attack for a full minute before stopping and allowing the dust to settle. As the cloud settled, a figure stood outlined.

"This farce has continued long enough," came the cold voice of the Sturdy Knight. The dust surrounding him suddenly blew away, revealing Craniamon's weapon spinning. He did not bear so much as a scratch, nor had he even conjured his shield. "This battle was decided the moment you chose to stand against the Digital World. I only wish you had listened to reason before it came to this."

Without waiting for a response, Craniamon again brought forth his weapon and began to spin it in his hand. However, this time the blades on either end of the pole began to spin as well, fast enough to make the look like a pair of drills. 'Waltz of Death', stated Craniamon coolly, before proceeding to lunge at Gigaseadramon. The serpent moved to coil around him, but Craniamon slipped under his coils and drove his halberd into his side. Impaled on the weapon, Gigaseadramon was twisted and spun with it as Craniamon twirled and moved in what looked like a complex dance.

Craniamon stopped his 'dance', but Gigaseadramon's momentum continued, dislodging him from the weapon and hurling him quite a distance. It didn't seem as though he would stop until he collided with the first floor of a skyscraper, demolishing the wall as he crashed into it. From a distance, Hanae looked on, terrified at what she had seen. Her mother was shocked even more so, and proceeded to faint. Thankfully, Labramon caught her and laid her down, Hanae checking to see that she was alright.

At the same time, Evan had immediately dashed towards his felled partner when he collided with the building. Glass cracked under his feet and dust clouded his vision as he waded through the rubble. He eventually made his way to his partner's head, which turned slightly to look at him as he approached. He looked his partner up and down, and from where he was standing it did not look good. Gigaseadramon's armour was in shambles, cracked along every visible surface. Bits of glass were stuck in several points along his body, and the gaping wound from Craniamon's attack was visibly leaking bits of data.

"Evan..." croaked Gigaseadramon, his voice hoarse and weak. "Take Hanae and her mother and get away from here."

"What are you talking about?" was Evan's reply.

"It's over buddy; I can't beat him. You have to get away from here while you still can."

"No way, I'm not leaving you here."

"Evan, you came here to protect Hanae and save her mother. You can still do that, but you have to go now."

"Not at the cost of losing you. I've almost lost you before, but we managed to pull through. This time isn't gonna be any different."

Gigaseadramon chuckled weakly; "It's already different; before you were completely panicked, but you managed to keep your head this time."

"That's because I know that things are gonna work out. It's just like Hanae said; we're not leaving anyone behind."

"Then I guess we're gonna be foolish together, buddy."

Evan placed a hand on his partner's head as he tried to lift himself off the ground. The moment they came into contact, Evan's Digivice let out a burst of bright red light which surrounded him in an instant. He plucked his Digivice from his belt and instinctively pressed the left hand button. "Let's do this together; Holy Armour Fusion." Gigaseadramon's body was covered in the red light, and then seemed to coil around Evan while decreasing in size. When the field of light that was Gigaseadramon had diminished down to the size of Evan, it dispersed, revealing The Holy Warrior of Kindness.

The Holy Warrior of Kindness was covered head to toe in crimson armour, which Evan looked up and down with admiration. He wore a helm with a triad of fin like protrusions on the top, and another pair on the sides. On his back was a large object, which appeared to be a red, metal surfboard. Evan pulled the board off his back and looked it over. At his touch, it separated into two halves, which extended apart along a shaft until it resembled the halberd used by Craniamon, although the shaft was longer and the blades not as large. Evan hefted the weapon between both his hands and smirked.

"This is certainly interesting," remarked Evan, testing the weight of his new weapon.

_"You've got that right," _came the voice of Gigaseadramon. _"I'm feeling a bit better than I was a moment ago, but I'm as new to this as you, so I don't know how long it'll last."_

"Then we'd better make the most of it."

Evan turned to face the street and walked briskly through the rubble of the building's ground floor to get back outside. Meanwhile outside, Craniamon had turned away from the felled Gigaseadramon and turned his attention to the remaining Child of Virtue. Hanae was holding on to her unconscious mother tightly, while Labramon stood between them and the advancing knight, growling aggressively. Craniamon stopped a short distance away from them, his stillness creating a strange sense of intimidation on it's own.

"As you can see," stated the Knight firmly, "your friend's 'partner' has been defeated. The Digimon with you as well knows what it is like to face the wrath of a Royal Knight. You are plainly outmatched, and if you have any sense left at all, you will surrender immediately. This will be the last chance you ever get."

Hanae was on the verge of tears. She had seen Evan almost lose his partner before, and knew from losing her own that the prospect was utterly horrifying. She certainly didn't want Labramon to get hurt again, even if she knew he could come back, and was torn on what she should do. However, looking past Craniamon she saw the eruption of light from Evan's Digivice, and a smile creeped onto her face.

"I think that this may actually be your last chance," said Hanae, her previous confidence returning.

Craniamon was perturbed, and turned around to see what Hanae was looking at behind him. He saw Evan lunging towards him, halberd bared, and had only an instant to react. He brought forth his shield and swung it into the path of the attack. Evan's weapon struck the shield dead on, and an earsplitting crack filled the air. Evan jumped back, pulling his weapon out of Craniamon's shield, which revealed that it had pierced the shield's surface. Cracks ran up and down the shield from either end of the point of impact for a short distance.

Craniamon was abhorred, not only by the fact that his shield was damaged, but also that the Child of Virtue had the gall to strike out against him. "What is this devilry? What is that armour and how are you, a human, able to damage my armour?"

"This is what happens when a Digimon and human working together reach their peak," replied Evan curtly. "Considering how I feel right now, you're lucky I don't intend to kill you."

"Cease this blathering and fight then, if that is what you seek."

Evan and Craniamon then lunged at each other, each thrusting his halberd forward. The two weapons glanced off each other as the two passed by, after which they both turned around and began circling around the other. They matched each other step for step, refusing to allow the other to gain any ground. Evan was the one to break the circling, rushing towards Craniamon at a low angle. Craniamon took a single step backwards and brought forth his shield once more. Evan smirked, and thrust the forward blade into the shield. Immediately afterwards, he spun his weapon around, striking the shield with the other end.

There was another sickening crack as the split in Craniamon's shield expanded to either end. The Knight stepped backwards, away from Evan's blows, but as he moved the broken halves of his shield separated and fell to the ground, shattering into a shower of data. Not wanting to waste the opportunity, Evan began to thrust and stab at Craniamon relentlessly. The Knight was taken aback by his opponent's new found strength, and was unable to turn things around, only managing to parry each blow as it came.

Evan saw that his opponent was struggling to keep up his defences now that his shield was broken. He continued his assault and increased his pace as he went, each blow getting closer and closer to its mark. With one final heave, Evan pushed past Craniamon's halberd and embedded his own deep in the Knight's shoulder. His arm went limp, dropping his weapon to the ground, after which it simply disappeared. Craniamon was dumbfounded, and could only watch as Evan removed the blade from his shoulder, and then knocked him to the ground with the pole.

"I don't know how you have done this," said Craniamon, looking up at Evan, "but you have vanquished me. Finish it, but know that there will be no quarter for you after this."

"You seem to have missed what I said a few moments ago," was Evan's reply, as the Digivice in his chest plate lit up and shot a beam of light at the Knight.

When the light faded from Craniamon, he shook his head. Evan lowered his weapon and offered a hand to Craniamon. The Knight took it with his good arm and got to his feet. "Child of Virtue," he said, "you have my thanks."

"Um, you're welcome I guess. Although I was expecting a bit more confusion on your part."

"Nay, I know all that took place here. I did not wish to, but Queenmon's will was insurmountable. I must apologize to you, and especially to your partner, as well as all the other humans who have suffered because of us."

"There will be time for that later. For now we have to deal with Queenmon herself."

"Indeed. I shall need some time to recover, but I shall offer you what help I..."

Craniamon's words were cut short by a series of harsh crunching noises. Evan and the Knight both looked to his chest, from which a thin blade now protruded. Craniamon twitched painfully as the blade was twisted within him. The blade was removed, and Craniamon fell to his knees, revealing the form of Duftmon standing behind him with a menacing demeanour. He flipped the rapier at his side and shook his head at the mortally wounded Knight.

"Now now Craniamon," said Duftmon in a cruel sneer, "you know the consequences of betraying Queenmon. Don't worry though, I'm sure you'd rather this than end up in the servitude of a Demon Lord." Duftmon snickered harshly as Craniamon's data began to dissolve from the wound in his chest.

**Author's Note: **Here we are again, another chapter finished, and I think I managed to get this one done a little bit quicker than the last couple. Still, I would aspire to get them done quicker, but hopefully you'll bear with me if I can't. As always, thanks for reading.


	21. For Everyone's Sake

Chapter 20: For Everyone's Sake

**Disclaimer: Not sure why I still bother with these**

Evan could only stand and look on as Craniamon dissolved into streams of data and disappeared. He gripped his weapon tightly and glared at Duftmon, who seemed to take no notice. He looked behind him to see Hanae standing next to her unconscious mother, her face bearing a look of shock. Labramon was at her feet, growling aggressively at the knight's arrival. Duftmon looked down upon the body of Craniamon until it had dissolved completely, before finally turning to face Evan.

"Well now," chided the knight, "I must give you humans credit. Turning even The Sturdy against his own kind would have been quite a feat. Although that power doesn't really belong to you, does it?"

"Shut Up," snapped Evan. "How could you so easily cut down one of your allies?"

"Justice is swift. He was no longer an ally, and was now a traitor to her Highness Queenmon. I simply dealt him his due punishment."

"You're a monster. First you strike down Hanae and her Partner, then even one of your own comrades."

"I will not be lectured on the nature of monsters by someone who serves a Demon Lord. You even consumed your own 'partner' to gain the power to defeat Craniamon."

"I did no such thing; my partner is here fighting with me."

"It matters not. The time has come to deal with you humans for good. This time I have no reason to hold back."

"I should say the same. For Hanae and Craniamon, I will cut you down."

_"Evan wait," _came the voice of Betamon inside Evan's head, but it was too late.

Evan rushed towards Duftmon, bringing his weapon down into a straight charge with the blade. Duftmon sneered and brandished his rapier. Just before Evan could connect with the knight, he sidestepped the charge. He slipped his rapier under the forward blade of Evan's weapon and tipped it upwards, throwing off Evan's balance. He then delivered a straight, sharp kick to Evan's middle, winding him.

As Evan stumbled backwards, Duftmon swung his rapier in an arc, creating a thin crescent of energy. 'Aussterben' he called, hurling the energy blade at Evan with a thrust of his hilt. Evan brought his weapon down in front of the blast, but the thin, sharp blade cut right through the halberd's pole, connecting with Evan's chest. The impact left a gash in Evan's armour and threw him backwards. He landed on his back just in front of Hanae.

Evan pushed himself into a sitting position, and then felt a weird sensation come over him. He looked down to see that he was bathed in a soft glow, which covered all of him save the parts that did not bear armour. When the glow faded, he had returned to his normal self, and Betamon had materialized next to him, looking fairly beat up. There was a clattering noise as his Digivice fell to the ground beside him. Evan was confused, and looked to Betamon, who bowed his head.

"What happened?" Evan asked, hoping his partner would understand better.

"I tried to warn you," came his partner's reply. "With the injuries I sustained from Craniamon, I didn't know how long we could maintain that merged form. When you lost control and became enraged at Duftmon, the link created by your virtue broke, and we weren't able to maintain the Holy Armour Fusion any longer. That's why Duftmon was able to walk all over us."

"Damn it. Can we do it again?"

"I don't know; I'm really low on energy right now, and until you calm down I don't think you can restore the link."

"It's okay Evan," came the voice of Hanae, placing a hand on Evan's shoulder. "You two have done enough. Now it's my turn."

"You don't have to do this Hanae. Last time you fought this guy, he killed Labramon. I don't want you to have to go through that again."

"I appreciate your concern," stated Labramon. "However, right now you are in no condition to fight. I shall take on the responsibility of defeating Duftmon. Besides, as you said, I have a bit of a score to settle with him."

"Glad you're with me Labramon. Evan, you stay back and look after my mom, okay?"

"Alright, but be careful."

Hanae simply smirked and stepped away from Evan, turning with Labramon to face Duftmon. "You've hurt a lot of people Duftmon," she said, clutching the still stitched up wound she had received from their last encounter. "For that reason, we have no choice but to defeat you, for all the people you've hurt, and so that you can't hurt anyone else again."

Hanae brought out her Digivice and released Amemit, which appeared on the ground in front of Labramon. He slipped a paw into the weapon's cuff, which the erupted in a burst of golden light. 'LABRAMON WARP EVOLUTION! ANUBISMON!' Anubismon emerged from the evolutionary light and stepped forward towards Duftmon. The Knight twirled his rapier nonchalantly and smirked at the other Mega Digimon. Anubismon brought his hands up, brandishing his claw at Duftmon and giving him a stern look.

At this time, Duftmon began to laugh, almost uncontrollably. "Are you quite serious? The last time we met in combat, I killed you. You're lucky that you were even able to reformat so quickly. What do you possibly think will be different this time?"

"This time I'm going to defeat you," was Anubismon's reply.

"Don't say I didn't warn you."

With no further exchange of words, Anubismon lunged toward the Royal Knight, the claw of Amemit extended. Duftmon took a single step backwards and raised his rapier into the path of the oncoming Digimon. Anubismon snagged the blade of his opponent between two of Amemit's claws, and began to press into the rapier firmly. Duftmon attempted to loose his blade from the claws, but instead was only able to twist the blade in place. Each of his motions were matched by Anubismon, keeping the weapon in check.

Duftmon grunted and placed his other hand on the hilt of his rapier to try and apply more strength against his foe. Anubismon was able to hold fast, as he had the leverage provided by his claws, as well as being slightly larger than the Knight. Duftmon brought his leg up and forward in an attempt to kick Anubismon, but came up short when his leg was caught by his free hand. With the knight standing on only one leg, Anubismon took the opportunity to throw his balance off, and trip his other leg out from under him.

Duftmon released his off hand grip on his rapier in order to catch himself as he was tripped. His extra hold gone, Anubismon gave a mighty twist of his claws, wrenching Duftmon's rapier out of his hand. The Knight proceeded to cartwheel back several feet in order to regain his balance, while his rapier spun through the air above his opponent. As he stood back upright, the blade landed, embedding itself in the ground right next to Anubismon. Hanae's partner then grasped the hilt of the weapon, and raked it with Amemit, severing it into three pieces.

Duftmon looked on, furious as his weapon was rend into three. Each piece clattered to the ground loudly before dissolving into streams of data that dispersed and vanished. Anubismon dropped the hilt he had been gripping, which also dissolved immediately. He took a few paces forward, to which the Knight responded with no motion whatsoever. Anubismon stared down his opponent, who seemed to be frozen in the shock of being so promptly and efficiently disarmed. He was shocked shortly thereafter, when the Knight began howling with laughter.

"My my my, this is certainly unexpected," called Duftmon, still snickering. "I think I see now how you may have been able to best The Sturdy. Then again, the legends say you also defeated the Demon Lords, which would have taken as much or more. Then again, the legends are difficult to believe when the lot of you are working for Beelzemon the Bandit."

"If you see that you are outmatched," replied Anubismon, "then perhaps it is best if you were to surrender."

"Surrender? Outmatched? Clearly you have no idea who I am. I AM DUFTMON THE SWIFT, AND NOW I SHALL SHOW YOU THAT I AM WITHOUT PEER!"

Duftmon let out a roar like a mad beast and began to surge with energy, creating ripples in the air around him. He bent over double onto all fours, and began to change shape. His armour shifted and morphed to match his new quadrupedal stature, and his hands changed into beastly paws that sported vicious looking claws. His face changed as well as what had been his helm folded over the rest of his head, giving the visage of a new head like that of a wildcat. Upon completion of the transformation, Duftmon no longer looked like a knight, but rather like a great mountain lion covered with metal. He growled gutturally at Anubismon.

Anubismon was unsure of how to react to his opponent's change. He kept his eyes on the beast, waiting for him to make a move. However, when Duftmon did finally make a move, Anubismon's eyes failed him. The beast before him moved at such a speed that it was gone before he knew he had moved. Anubismon spun on the spot, expecting an attack on his rear. Such an attack was what he got, but not until after he hard turned. Duftmon had lapped around him as he turned and leapt at his back, raking his wings deeply with his claws.

Upon feeling the impact of the blow, Anubismon spun around once more, trying to catch his opponent on the recoil of his attack, but he was already gone. This time when the beast came back, he rolled under Anubismon's legs, knocking him off balance. His wings torn from the first blow, Anubismon was not able to slow his fall, and hit the ground hard. He raised his head and saw Duftmon standing before him, mocking him just by standing still.

"Did I not tell you this would happen?" chided Duftmon, his voice more feral than it had been in his Knight form. "I am going to enjoy tearing you bit from bit."

Anubismon stood up, defiant of the Knight's taunting. "My claim has not changed. I am still going to defeat you."

This time, Anubismon raised his other arm, brandishing the crystal therein at the beast. Before he could declare his attack, Duftmon was on him. The beast had virtually wrapped himself around his arm, tearing into it at the forearm and shoulders. Anubismon shook his arm to throw Duftmon free, but the he did not let go until he had thoroughly torn up his arm, leaving it riddled with deep gashes. The beast detached himself from Anubismon, leaving his arm limp at his side.

Anubismon clutched at his shredded arm, wincing at his own touch. Duftmon let out a snickering growl and began to circle his perceived prey. "You are such a fool, thinking you could possibly defeat me."

"I have no intention of going back on my word. Hanae and the others are counting on me for protection."

"You still think you can protect that girl? You can't even protect yourself. Once I'm done with you, I'll finish off that other rookie and bring the humans to Queenmon. I doubt there will be any mercy for them at this point, so you should be glad you won't be around to see it."

"Your childish taunting will not sway me, I shall defeat you."

"You tell him!" Anubismon was glad to hear the voice of his partner, and turned to look at her. She was stepping towards the two Digimon, while Evan and Betamon were moving her mother further away. "It's about time you got what you deserved."

Duftmon was clearly enraged to be spoken to as such by a human. He stopped circling Anubismon and bared his teeth at Hanae. The Child of Generosity was not swayed, and continued walking towards her partner. Duftmon was about to lunge at her, when Anubismon caught him in the ribs with a shoulder check, knocking him aside. At that time he rushed over to Hanae and looked at her, smiling. She smiled back, and brought out her Digivice.

Without any further exchange of words, Hanae's Digivice began to glow a bright yellow. She pressed the side button like Evan had told her and the light erupted around her any her partner. 'Engage; Holy Armour Fusion.' Hanae emerged from the burst of light just as Duftmon was getting back on his feet. She was clad completely in golden yellow armour, her Digivice now positioned in her abdomen. On each of her shoulders was a decoration in the shape of a Jackal's head. She also wore a helm of the same shape, which looked almost identical to Anubismon's head. On each forearm was a triad of claws, both identical to the ones on Amemit. She looked herself over once and smirked broadly; "Holy Warrior of Generosity."

Duftmon glared at Hanae's new form, snarling fiercely. "This changes nothing! If you'll recall, I struck down your friend even while he was wearing such armour, and I wasn't even exerting myself."

"You may find I have a trick or two up my sleeve," was Hanae's reply.

_"Are you sure you can handle this Hanae?" _came the voice of Anubismon.

"I think so. If not, you can always take over."

_"Alright then, let's do this."_

True to her word, Hanae surprised Duftmon by dropping to all fours just as he had. She arched her back and flexed her arms and legs, adjusting her posture to match her stance. Her helm closed over her head, matching the heads on her shoulders and giving her the appearance of a three headed jackal. She now looked every bit as bestial as Duftmon, and was ready to meet him on his own terms. Duftmon was taken aback at this transformation, and stepped away from her.

"This is absurd!" snarled Duftmon. "You think it fit to make a mockery of me?"

"No mocking here," retorted Hanae, a hint of sarcasm in her tone. "I'm just levelling the playing field a little."

"It matters not! I'm still going to tear you to shreds."

"Enough talk!"

In that instant, the two beasts charged at each other with all available speed. To anyone looking on from the outside, they seemingly vanished into a pair of blurs. Evan and Betamon looking on could only make out the occasional streak of brown or gold, slowing down only slightly when they collided with one another. However, to Hanae and Duftmon, it seemed as though everything in the world around them had come to a standstill. The only thing either one saw moving was the other. They would circle around each other, lunge inwards, collide, then spring backwards before repeating the cycle.

On each pass, both the Royal Knight and the Holy Warrior attempted to tear into the other. Jaws and claws crossed and connected, legs and bodies were slashed at, and ferocious roars were exchanged. Duftmon, his fury growing, was slipping in his concentration, while Hanae remained focused on her single goal of protecting her friends. Thus, with each subsequent exchange, Duftmon began to lose ground. Hanae would tear into his side with her claws, and attempt to bring his legs out from under him. Duftmon became more and more fleeting, trying to keep her from taking away his speed.

Then, with one final pass, it was over. Hanae slashed out the back of one of Duftmon's hind legs, and he skidded. He tripped over his own legs, and with the sudden loss of footing, he was thrown out of the blurring dash they had both been in. Hanae brought herself to a halt and watched as Duftmon barrelled end over end before sliding to a stop on his side. Knowing it was over, Hanae stood back up, resuming her human stance, and sliding her helm back to observe her opponent with her own eyes.

Duftmon was a mess. There were deep gashes on his sides from where Hanae's claws had torn into him. The leg she had slashed out lay splayed out to one side, twitching. Even so, Duftmon attempted to stand. He pushed himself up on his front legs, and dragged his limp hind leg up with the other. He shook as he stood, shifting his weight off of the damaged leg. He snarled gutturally at Hanae as he attempted to stand, while she simply stood and shook her head at him.

"It's over Duftmon," she stated simply. "You've lost."

"I cannot lose. Not to you; NOT TO ANYONE!"

Before Hanae could make any further attempts to talk Duftmon down, he turned away from her and set his sights on Evan, Betamon and her mother. He began to run towards them, snarling bestially. Hanae moved to interrupt him, but before she could reach him, another voice called out 'Lightning Joust'. A streak of bright blue energy flew past Hanae and enveloped the Royal Knight. Streaks of data were seen flying off as the attack passed through. After it dissipated, there was nothing left of Duftmon. Hanae turned and saw none other than Gallantmon standing behind her, his lance outstretched.

Hanae tensed up when she saw the other Royal Knight, and raised her claws towards him. In response, Gallantmon lowered Gram, which then faded from his arm. Hanae waited a moment, during which Gallantmon made no move towards her. She lowered her weapons and nodded to the Knight, understanding that he had no intention of picking a fight with her. After that, Gallantmon approached her, and the two of them began walking towards the others.

"I take it since you helped us there," stated Hanae, "that you're back on our side."

"You are correct, Child of Virtue," replied Gallantmon. "After my duel with Examon and Daichi, I was purified, and freed from Queenmon's control. I am saddened to say that before that, I nearly killed both of them."

"It's not your fault, you couldn't control your actions. Craniamon told us that after we purified him."

"You managed to purify Craniamon? Where is he?"

"Sadly," chimed in Evan as the other two reached him, "he was killed by Duftmon."

"I see. He was a good comrade, and his loss pains me."

"What about Duftmon?" asked Betamon. "You blasted him yourself."

"I know, and though it was hard, I do not regret it. Duftmon was always the most zealous of us Royal Knights, where the pursuit of evil Digimon was concerned. However, it seems that as time progressed, he grew more and more obsessed with the destructive aspects of his duty, as opposed to those regarding the upholding of peace. In the end though, I am glad to have spared the act of his destruction from your hands."

"Well, thank you then. What will you do now?"

"It was my desire to seek out the rest of you Children of Virtue and render assistance. I had been hoping to recover more of my own comrades as well, but it seems that my luck is poor in that regard. However, your assistance will be required nonetheless if Queenmon is to be defeated."

"Alright then. However, before we do that, I would like to take my mother somewhere safe." Hanae gestured to her mother, who had still not regained consciousness. It was probably a good thing she hadn't, considering that she was once again in the presence of a Royal Knight, as well as her daughter wearing her Holy Armour. With any luck, she would remain that way until she had been taken to safety, and the Digimon had moved off.

**Author's Notes: **As of now, 2 Royal Knights have been purified and 2 have been destroyed. How will the others fare? I don't know yet /shifty eyes/, but we shall find out!


	22. Twins Too Late

Chapter 21: Twins Too Late

Ayame and Seiichi raced through the city streets, trying to reach the east end of the city before the full hour passed. They were both riding on the back of Firamon, while Lekismon was sprinting alongside them. They weren't sure how long they had been travelling for, but they were getting close to the east end, as the Skyscrapers began to thin out in favour of suburbs. However, it was only when their view became less obstructed that they noticed a billow of smoke rising in front of them. The twins looked at each other, fearing the worst. At the same time, Firamon broke into a headlong charge, trying to reach the source of the smoke faster.

As the group cleared the edge of the city, they entered a suburb and were greeted with the sight of a park. The park was filled with large tents, and was evident as one of the evacuation sites. However, things were a mess. Several tents were trodden upon or thrown aside, and a few were even on fire. People were scurrying around, yelling and screaming. There were a few people lying motionless in the midst of the chaos. At the middle of it all were two of the Royal Knights; Crusadermon and Dynasmon.

Upon seeing the arrival of the children and their partners, the two Royal Knights turned away from the ravaged refugee camp, and set their sights on their intended targets. "Welcome, Children of Virtue," called out Dynasmon. "I'm afraid you were a bit too late and we had to begin carrying out Queenmon's orders."

"However," cut in Crusadermon, "now that you're here we can apprehend you and be on our way."

"You expect us to cooperate with you after you attacked a bunch of innocent people?" roared Ayame, Lekismon having to place a hand on her shoulder to keep her from leaping at the Knights.

"I thought you knew by now that Queenmon's orders are absolute," chided Crusadermon. "She made herself very clear, and we simply did as we were instructed."

"I thought you Royal Knights were better than this," called Seiichi, his hands shaking with silent fury. "How can you call yourselves Knights after doing something like this?"

"You need to stop wasting our time with pointless questions."

"Seiichi," said Firamon, stepping in front of his partner, "let us handle them. Then, you two can go make sure those people are alright."

"Right then. Push them back into the city where there's no one around to get hurt."

Ayame and Seiichi immediately released Sol and Luna, which were grabbed by their respective partners. 'FIRAMON LEAP EVOLUTION! APOLLOMON!' and 'LEKISMON LEAP EVOLUTION! DIANAMON!' were called out simultaneously, after which the two Megas stepped forward to face the Knights. Crusadermon and Dynasmon did not seem to be pleased about having to fight, but they took up stances anyways. Apollomon and Lunamon leapt at Dynasmon and Crusadermon, and began grappling with them. While they struggled, they gradually pushed the two Knights across the street, away from the refugee camp.

While their partners drew the Royal Knights away, Ayame and Seiichi turned their attention to the damages around them. Some of the people who had been downed were trying to get themselves up. Others remained motionless. The Twins made their way to the closest unconscious person, and knelt down to check him. After making sure he was still breathing, they each placed one of his arms over their shoulders and hoisted him up.

As they worked to move him towards safety, several other people emerged. They looked around and, seeing what the twins were doing, joined the effort. After a few quick shouts of instructions, a half dozen people ran out into the blast zone to attend to other injured people. One of the people told Ayame and Seiichi there was a medical tent nearby, and led them towards it with their unconscious passenger. When the two reached the medical tent, there were several other people arriving with injured as well. The Twins laid the man they were carrying onto a cot, and then moved to go back outside.

Before the Twins could get very far, they suddenly found themselves surrounded by people gawking at them. "That's them alright," called a voice. "I saw them ride in with two of those monsters."

"They must be some of those kids they showed on the news."

"Do you know what's going on? What are those things anyways?"

"Where did they come from? Are there going to be more attacks?"

Just when Ayame and Seiichi were beginning to wish they had stayed outside with their partners, a commanding voice called for silence. The crowed parted, and revealed an older man, balding with a large grey moustache. He stepped towards the Twins, who immediately recognized him as their grandfather, and master of the Matsumoto Dojo. They bowed to him out of respect, then ran up to him and embraced him. He hugged them back, smiling, then separated himself and addressed them.

"Now then," said the Grandfather, his tone was very formal. "As you are probably aware, there are many unanswered questions regarding recent events. The news has not provided much information aside from your involvement, and I'm sure everyone here would be put more at ease if we knew what we were dealing with."

"Yes master," replied Seiichi. "Those creatures are called 'Digimon', which is short for 'Digital Monsters'. They come from another world, parallel to ours, called the 'Digital World'. We, that is to say the other children and I who were shown on the news, travelled to that world three years ago. The Digimon that we arrived with were our partners and protectors from back then. The ones who attacked you are called the 'Royal Knights'; they serve a corrupt master and are bound to her will. We are currently fighting to defeat these Knights, as well as their leader, in order to protect both our worlds."

"Interesting. If all this began three years ago, how come you told no one back then?"

"To be honest," said Ayame, "we didn't think anyone would believe us."

"Well, it seems there is plenty of reason to believe you now. Now, why did you not come forward to the authorities before, back when the current incidents were just starting."

"Well, there are extenuating circumstances surrounding this whole thing, but mainly we have a responsibility to the other world as much as to this one, since we were called upon to be it's protectors."

"I see. What do you intend to do now?"

"We planned to help our partners with their fight as much as we can, so that we can defeat these Knights and their master and restore things to a semblance of normalcy."

"Very well." Master Matsumoto stepped aside to let the Twins pass. "Do what you feel you must. However, promise me you'll try to be safe, alright?"

"We promise. Thanks Grandfather."

After that, the Twins raced out of the medical tent back into the camp. They ran to the edge of the camp, where they could see their partners fighting across the street at the edge of the city. Around them, other people who had been watching were now moving away, seeking to escape from the area while the Royal Knights were distracted. Dianamon was currently trading blows with Crusadermon, who was whirling the yellow ribbons around her like blades, which she parried with Luna. Apollomon and Dynasmon were grappling hand in hand with each other. Burst of energy from each of their hands indicated that they were trying to prevent the other from using any energy blasts.

Seeing the return of his partner, Apollomon knew it was time to go on the offensive. He pressed hard on Dynasmon's hands, causing the Knight to flinch. He then pulled away slightly before ramming his shoulder into his opponent, knocking him further down the street. At the same time, Dianamon caught Crusadermon's ribbon-like blades on Luna, which she then unfurled to throw her off balance. She then delivered a powerful kick to the Knight's side, pushing her back, with the intent of keeping the two Knights separated.

Dynasmon was the first to recover from the heavy blow. "I will admit," he stated simply, "you are a formidable opponent. However, your resistance cannot be tolerated. I shall eliminate you and bring your human before Queenmon, and I don't imagine her judgement will contain any mercy either."

Dynasmon held out both his hands,upon which the jewels in his palms began to glow. He called out 'Dragon Thrower', and unleashed a pair of energy streams. One was blue, the other red, and they coiled around each other as they flew towards Apollomon. Reacting quickly, Apollomon brought up his own hands, upon which his wrist amulets erupted in flames. 'Apollo's Arrows' he roared, spewing a pair of flame streams into the path of the oncoming blasts. The two attacks collided close to Apollomon, tearing a hole in the street and the sides of nearby buildings. When the smoke cleared, both were still standing, but Apollomon seemed to be panting.

"Alright, looks I need to finish this quick."

Apollomon plucked Sol from his side, and at the same time the amulet behind his head floated out in front of him. He separated the two halves of Sol and placed them into the sides of the flaming sphere's frame. The sphere grew from orange to white hot intensity as Apollomon called out 'Sol Blaster!' From the orb a massive burst of fire erupted, streaming forwards and taking on the form of a huge white bird. A shrieking sound accompanied the flames as the air around it boiled. Nearby glass shards from the damaged buildings began to melt, and metal debris began to warp from the intense heat.

As Apollomon readied his attack, Dynasmon prepared his counter offensive. His entire body became engulfed in a white, wispy aura, and his eyes glowed bright white. The jaws of his helm opened wide as he screamed 'Breath of Wyvern!' The aura around him shot forward, and took on the shape of a massive white dragon. The dragon form was larger even than the bird form of Sol Blaster. Apollomon braced himself as Dynasmon's attack engulfed his own and continued towards him unfazed. The massive stream of energy engulfed him and then exploded ferociously.

Apollomon was thrown backwards a good thirty feet by the blast, his armour shredded and his amulets shattered. He landed roughly and gagged, the wind knocked completely out of him by the impact. The two halves of Sol rolled out of the smoke from the blast, coming to a rest next to Apollomon. There was no trace of the flaming orb or its frame of any kind. Apollomon lay virtually motionless, breathing harshly and occasionally twitching. Dynasmon walked over to him at a moderate pace, stopping to stand above his fallen opponent.

At the same time, Dianamon had positioned herself above Crusadermon to deliver a finishing blow. She saw the blast and heard Apollomon scream, and turned to watch as he flew out of the alley and landed in a heap. Her opponent distracted, Crusadermon took her opportunity. She leapt to her feet and, as Dianamon was turning back around, brought her heavy shield forward. As Dianamon came to face her, the shield fell upon her midsection with a heavy blow, embedding itself in her armour.

Without removing her shield, Crusadermon called out 'Fist of Athena', which caused her shield to slam forward into Dianamon's stomach with the force of a pile-driver. The impact sent shudders along her form and running cracks through her armour. Crusadermon repeated her attack, each time causing Dianamon to groan painfully as she was pummelled. Pieces of her armour broke off and dissolved with each blow as the cracks grew larger. With a final hit, Dianamon was thrown backwards and landed on her back, right next to Apollomon.

Crusadermon and Dynasmon stood over their fallen opponents, both of whom were breathing heavily and struggling to move. "This farce has gone on long enough. It is time to..."

"Hold it right there," came simultaneous shouts form the twins.

The Royal Knights stopped in their tracks, and looked up to see what the twins were declaring. Crusadermon was shocked to see Ayame standing nearby. Although the weight of it was causing her to slump, she held Luna in her hands. Dynasmon saw a similar sight, with Seiichi holding one half of Sol in each of his hands. The Royal Knights snickered, and then began to laugh loudly.

"What manner of jest is this? Surely YOU do not mean to fight us."

"Frankly I'm not sure what the plan is," replied Ayame. "That's usually more Seiichi's field."

"I'm afraid there's no plan this time," he said in response. "But I'm getting a little tired of waiting around and watching things happen."

"I couldn't have said it better myself."

At that moment, both the twins Digivices exploded with intense light, causing the Royal Knights to shield their eyes. As the light hit their partners, they seemed to dissolve into it, and were pulled back into the Digivices. Ayame and Seiichi held up their Digivices and, in unison, pressed in the left hand button while calling out 'ENGAGE! HOLY ARMOUR FUSION!'. The twins were engulfed in the light emanating from their Digivices, Ayame in pink, Seiichi in orange. They emerged from the light, again simultaneously, clad in their Holy Warrior armour. Seiichi declared himself 'Holy Warrior of Patience', and Ayame herself 'Holy Warrior of Purity'.

Ayame and Seiichi's armour were virtually identical, save for hers being a deep pink and his a bright orange. They were clad head to toe in the armour, with Seiichi's Digivice adorning his chest while hers resided in her abdomen. Both warriors had gauntlets and greaves that were set heavier than the surrounding armour, with spiked wrists and heels. They also had a pair of small spikes on each shoulder. In each hand, Seiichi held a half of Sol, although they now had angled handles and resembled batons. Ayame had on each gauntlet a large, crescent shaped blade, with the points facing outwards.

Dynasmon and Crusadermon were dumbfounded. "Remarkable," he mused. "They absorbed their partners to be able to fight us themselves."

"This is truly a wretched sight."

_"Don't worry Seiichi," _came Apollomon's voice. _"I'm right here with you."_

_ "I'm here too Ayame," _stated Dianamon. _"Let's show these Knights what the combined power of human and Digimon can do."_

Ayame and Seiichi stood side by side, facing the two Knights head on. Dynasmon and Crusadermon looked at each other quizzically for a moment, and then leapt at the twins. Seiichi and Ayame stepped apart from each other, he towards Dynasmon and she Crusadermon. Dynasmon brandished his claw like fingers, while Crusadermon grasped one of her ribbon-swords in her free hand. Ayame caught Crusadermon's sword on her crescent blades, and handily threw the Knight over her shoulder. Seiichi knocked Dynasmon's hands aside with his batons, before turning and ramming his shoulder into his chest. Seiichi pushed Dynasmon back, away from his sister and Crusadermon, while Ayame turned herself around to face her opposite her brother.

Dynasmon separated himself from Seiichi, and glowered at him angrily. Seiichi simply flipped his batons over in his hands, waiting for the Knight to move. Dynasmon leapt at Seiichi, flexing his claws. Seiichi ducked his head below the Knight's striking range, and brought his baton's together on his midsection, knocking the wind out of him. He then rapped both batons across his chest, knocking him backwards. Dynasmon staggered, but managed to keep his footing. He was now the one panting, short of breath after the blows to his torso.

Dynasmon roared and raised his palms, the jewels therein lighting up red and blue. However, before he could yell out any attack, Seiichi was on top of him. The tips of his batons were aflame, and he rammed one into each of Dynasmon's hands. The flaming rods tore right through the Knight's hands, coming clean through to the other side. Dynasmon howled madly, his pain excruciating. He staggered backwards, dropping his useless hands to his sides, Seiichi's baton's still embedded in them.

Seemingly undaunted, Dynasmon roared even more ferociously, and was again engulfed in a misty white aura. Once again, before he could act, Seiichi got to him. He slammed a hand over the Knight's face, immediately dispersing the aura. He then raised his other hand into a fist, which lit afire and blazed white hot. Without letting go of Dynasmon, Seiichi yelled 'Phoenician Blow', and rammed his fist into the Knight's middle. His fist, like his batons before, tore right through the Knight's armour, coming clean out the other side. Dynasmon immediately fell silent.

In one smooth motion, Seiichi released Dynasmon's face, drew his hand out of his torso, and grabbed hold of his batons once more. He slid his weapons out of Dynasmon's hands as he fell, and attached them to his waist. Dynasmon hit the ground hard, his data already dissolving outward from the gaping wound in his middle. He croaked hoarsely and limply raised an arm towards Seiichi, but soon dropped it as the last of his strength left him, and his data dissolved completely. His opponent gone, he turned to see how his sister was faring.

Ayame had pushed Crusadermon away from the other two while she was fighting her. Crusadermon lashed at Ayame with her ribbon-blades, but Ayame parried them with her crescents. On one last slash, Ayame caught Crusadermon's blades on hers. The crescents rotated two full turns, snagging the ribbon like blades, which she then tugged on roughly. With a scream from Crusadermon, Ayame tore the ribbons from their roots in the Knight's armour, after which they fell limp and dissolved into streams of data.

Crusadermon shrieked at Ayame, and swung at her with her shield. Ayame sidestepped the swing, only for the Knight to swing back at her again. Ayame held up her right hand and caught the swing on her gauntlet. She then raised her free hand, on which the crescent blade began to spin rapidly until it was a blurred disk. She brought the whirling blade down on Crusadermon's shield, carving a deep gash into it. Holding Crusadermon's shield with her other hand, she pressed down with her spinning blade, eventually slicing clean through the shield, and the Knight's arm along with it.

Crusadermon slipped away from Ayame as her arm was severed, teetering backwards, completely unbalanced. Letting go of the shield arm as it dissolved, Ayame swung her other hand around. The blade on that arm began to spin as well, until it too was a whirling disk. She drew the spinning blade across Crusadermon's front, tearing a deep gash through her. Crusadermon screamed one last time and then fell silent, bursting into a shower of data that dispersed and faded shortly after.

Their enemies dispatched, Ayame and Seiichi walked towards each other. They both had conflicted looks on their faces as they watched the leftover bits of the Knight's data fly off and disappear.

"Do you think we went too far?" asked Seiichi. "I don't think we needed to destroy them completely."

"It all happened kinda fast. I've never fought like that before. I wonder if the Digimon feel like this when they kill an opponent."

_"Don't worry about it," _came Apollomon's voice. _"Remember that Digimon don't die, we just get reformatted. Their data will return to the Digital World and be reborn."_

_ "You did what you felt you had to do," _added Dianamon. _"Besides, we don't have time to feel sorry for ourselves. There are more important matters that we need to attend right now."_

"Right, Queenmon is still out there and Takeshi may need our help."

"We can worry about what happens after once we've saved Chie."

**Author's Notes: **Yay, I managed to pull it off. Hopefully I managed to give an even amount of attention to each of the separate fights. Hope you enjoy this long awaited chapter of Dynasty, and hopefully I'll be able to produce more in a timely fashion. As always, thanks for reading.


	23. Kioko Alone

Chapter 22: Kioko Alone

As Kioko looked down, the streets of the city whizzed by underneath her. She wished she hadn't looked down, and now looked back to Ren, who was sitting in front of her. The two of them were riding on the back of Hippogryphomon, headed towards St. Julianus academy and the evacuation camp located there. Since they were flying, they figured they would be able to arrive there before the Royal Knights began to attack. Darkdramon was flying with them, off to the left of Hippgryphomon.

"How much longer until we arrive?" asked Kioko. She had to raise her voice to be heard over the rushing winds and Darkdramon's jets.

"It shouldn't be too much longer," replied Ren. "We may have had to cross the whole city, but it's a lot faster going by air than on foot."

"I just hope the others arrive in time too."

"Don't worry," chimed in Darkdramon, "the others will see to it that no innocents come to harm."

"My partner is right; I don't think we have anything to worry about."

"Until we actually have to fight the Knights," muttered Kioko.

"Don't worry Kioko," said Hippogryphomon, who had caught her whisper. "If it comes down to it, I shall protect you."

"Thanks." Kioko sighed with a small amount of relief, but she was still wary.

As if to confirm all of Kioko's worries, something whizzed past, dangerous close to her. Hippogryphomon bucked and banked hard, nearly throwing Kioko and Ren clean off. Kioko gripped her partner hard to avoid falling, and then began to look around frantically for the source of the confusion. She saw Darkdramon looking around as well, seemingly just as alarmed as she was. Before she could find out what had happened, there was another whizzing sound and a shriek from her partner.

After the shriek, Hippogryphomon began to bank sharply downwards. Kioko looked her partner over and saw a large arrow sticking through her left wing. She now knew what had happened; they were being attacked. She looked down to see the form of Sleipmon looking up at their group, his bow extended upwards with and arrow in his off-hand. Ren had jumped free of Hippgryphomon and been caught by Darkdramon, who had lowered him to the ground quickly. Kioko stayed on her partner to try and ease her fall.

Hippogryphomon hit the ground roughly, and Kioko was thrown off. She managed to roll with the fall and quickly got back to her feet. She ran back to the side of her partner, and helped her get back onto her feet. Her impaled wing hung low while her other was folded back. Kioko placed a hand on her partner's side to ease her, and grabbed hold of the arrow. With a swift jerk, she pulled the arrow loose, at which time it immediately dissolved into a stream of data. Hippgryphomon yelped as the arrow was pulled, but looked at Kioko with apparent gratitude.

"Are you alright?" asked Kioko, inspecting the wound.

"It's not that bad," replied her partner, "but it's going to be sore for a while."

Kioko looked over to Ren and Darkdramon, who now seemed to be staring down Sleipmon. The Royal Knight had made no further attacks against them.

"Greetings, children of virtue," stated Sleipmon. "I am Sleipmon the Noble, of the Royal Knights."

"Somehow I don't see shooting us out of the air as very noble," chided Ren.

"It was my intent to intercept you as you sought us out."

"Us?"

"I originally came here with Magnamon the Bold, but he is young and impatient, and ran off ahead of me. He is likely at the refugee camp already, as Queenmon ordered. However, if you are willing to cooperate, then there will be no need for him to follow through on the rest of our orders."

"I'm afraid I can't do that."

"Wait Ren," shouted Kioko, running over to Ren's side. "We can't just leave that other Knight unattended. You go ahead to the school and make sure the people there are safe, your friends might be there after all. We'll stay here and hold him."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes, you know the way to the school better anyways."

"Alright then. I'll come back as soon as I can."

"Thank you."

With that, Ren and Darkdramon turned away from Sleipmon and ran down another street. Sleipmon made no move to follow them, and turned to face Kioko. "I can see that you do not wish to surrender peacefully. If that is the case, then I shall deal with you, and leave the other child to Magnamon."

"Don't be afraid Kioko," said Hippgryphomon, walking up to her partner's side, her left wing still dragging. "Ren can handle himself well enough."

"Perhaps, in which case I shall go and assist Magnamon once I have the two of you subdued."

Kioko looked to her partner and nodded, before pulling out her Digivice, she released Gladius, which Hippogryphon grabbed in her beak. She was immediately bathed in evolutionary light, emerging moments later as Minervamon. She raised her sword at Sleipmon, who simply waited. She made to swing at him and, as she brought her blade around in a wide arc, he leaped over her swing, running off a distance behind her. Minervamon turned around as Sleipmon dashed away from her.

As Sleipmon ran away from Minervamon, he pulled out another arrow. Without stopping or even slowing he notched the arrow and fired at Minervamon. The arrow flew fast, and Minervamon barely had time to raise her shield. The arrow pierced the shield, but luckily it stuck fast and did not pass all the way through. Minervamon began to run towards Sleipmon, but he was already dashing off in another direction.

Minervamon attempted to cut straight across to Sleipmon, but he always seemed to be just out of reach. Each time she would attempt to catch up to him, he would change directions and dart off before she could reach him. Each attempt only served to get another arrow lodged in her shield. Minervamon was beginning to feel the strain; with Sleipmon possessing all the speed and stamina of a warhorse, she kept coming up short.

"This is bad," muttered Minervamon to herself. "Not only is her faster than me, but he's built for fighting at a distance. If I can't get close to him I'm not gonna be able to bring him down."

Sleipmon, noticing his opponent's apparent fatigue, stopped and turned to face her. "You know you are outmatched," he called. "I shall offer you a last chance at surrender. You would be wise to take it, for the sake of yourself and that human girl."

Minervamon tensed. She had always planned to fight the Royal Knight to whatever end, but it now seemed that any end aside from her being beaten was a small hope. She had never been all that concerned about her own safety, but she began to think of what could happen to Kioko. Images flashed in front of her mind of Anubismon's Digiegg, after he had been slain by Duftmon. She also remembered the injuries Hanae had suffered, and the beating Evan and Betamon had taken while captured by the knights. She couldn't let anything like that happen to Kioko.

"If I surrender..." began Minervamon, slightly unsure of herself and what she was about to say. "If I surrender, will you swear not to harm Kioko?" She lowered both her sword and shield as she spoke.

"What you ask goes without saying," replied Sleipmon, lowering his bow. "Quarter is always to be given to those who surrender and those who seek to mend the errors of their ways. I am certain that, were you to surrender willingly, even Queenmon would still be sympathetic to your plight. You are, after all, under many extenuating circumstances. Throw down your sword, and I swear that no harm will come to either of you."

Minervamon turned the idea over in her mind. Surrender had never before been an option, considering their previous fight had been against the ruthless Demon Lords. This time was different though. Their opponents were not evil fiends, simply confused and unwell friends. If she continued to fight against them, it would only bring more suffering to her friends, no matter what the outcome. If she surrendered, she would be able to prevent any harm from coming to Kioko, which was always her biggest concern. She could not win this fight, and trying would only serve to bring harm to Kioko and all her other friends.

Minervamon raised her sword arm, but just as she was about to drop Gladius, a voice called out to her. "Don't do it!"

Minervamon, her mind snapped out of the haze it had been in a moment before, looked to see that the voice had come from Kioko herself. The girl had run out from wherever she had been taking cover and approached her partner. She panted for a minute, having run the whole way, but then stood up straight to look at her partner.

"I know you may not want to fight him," said Kioko, placing a hand on her partner's arm, "but we have to keep this going long enough to give Takeshi the time he needs."

"I know he needs all the time he can get," replied Minervamon. "However, I'm YOUR partner, and I have to make sure I keep you safe, by any means."

"I know that you're worried about me, but this isn't the way to do it. There's more at stake here than just me. Takeshi, his sister, and your entire world is caught up in this. If we don't keep fighting for it, then we might lose everything."

Minervamon let out a deep sigh. "You're right, but I still don't want you to get hurt. After what happened to Hanae, all the other Digimon and I have been on edge about keeping our partners safe. We kept it amongst ourselves so as not to worry you guys, since you had enough on your plate as it is."

"While the concern is nice, you don't need to be so..."

Before Kioko could finish her sentence, Minervamon moved suddenly. There was a whizzing sound followed by a crunch, and Minervamon crumpled over, nearly flattening Kioko. She grunted painfully, and cringed when Kioko grabbed her. She looked her partner over to find the source of what had happened and saw one of Sleipmon's arrows. It was sticking out of her back through her armour, around where her lung would have been. Her ragged breathing indicated it had pierced deep.

Kioko and Minervamon both looked over to see Sleipmon standing there with his bow outstretched, another arrow already notched. "It would appear that you have made the wrong choice. Regrettably, I must now follow through on my orders."

Right as the words left his mouth, Sleipmon let his next arrow fly. Minervamon saw that the arrow was aimed not at her, but at Kioko. She moved quickly, throwing herself over her partner to keep her from getting hit. She felt the arrow pierce her, this time through the stomach. She slumped to the ground, retching and gripping Kioko tightly. Kioko dropped down to her knees to support her wounded partner. The entry points for both arrows had bits of data trickling from them.

"Minervamon!" exclaimed Kioko, holding her partner up. "Please be okay."

"Listen, Kioko," replied Minervamon weakly. "Whatever happens, don't try to stand up to him. You can't get hurt, not like this."

"Don't talk like that. You're going to be fine."

"I wish that were true Kioko, I really do. Please, just promise me you'll stay safe."

"I will, and we'll get through this together. Please Minervamon, I need you..."

Kioko trailed off as her Digivice erupted with a bright light, deep purple in colour. She held her Digivice up, and she and Minervamon both looked at the screen, which read 'Holy Armour'. Kioko knew what the words meant by definition, but she could only guess at what they were for on the Digivice. However, seeing the words filled both her and Minervamon with a renewed sense of hope that they could both feel. Kioko placed her hand on Minervamon's, grasping Gladius together with her. She then intuitively pressed in the left button on her Digivice while saying, almost in a whisper to her partner, 'Engage, Holy Armour Fusion'.

The light spewing from Kioko's Digivice consumed both her and her partner, and she felt as Minervamon seemed to flow into her. Her thoughts, feelings, memories, everything she had experienced since the two of them first met was now a part of her as well. Kioko emerged from the light clad in shining purple armour. The ends of her gauntlets were shaped like snake heads, and at her waist the armour formed a pleated skirt. Her head was bare, her beret seemingly vanished. From her back she could feel a pair of wings unfurl, bright white feathers shimmering. In her hands she held Gladius, Minervamon's weapon. She held it up and called out 'Holy Warrior of Humility.'

Sleipmon had notched another arrow to his bow, but hesitated when he saw the new opponent standing before him. Kioko, the initial awe of her new form passing, felt the weight of Gladius in her hands, and gripped it tightly. "This is certainly nothing like... well anything."

_"You're telling me. Still, I feel this tremendous power flowing through us. I think we can take him now."_

"I'm not sure, I've never gotten in any kind of fight before."

_"Don't worry, you're carrying my strength within you. We can do this together."_

"Speaking of that strength, I thought you could lift this thing with one hand. It feels a lot heavier than you made it look."

_"Oh. Well I don't know exactly how this fusion things works, and I was worried that if I exerted my whole physical power it might not be good for your body."_

"As much fun as it is listening to you talk to yourself," came Sleipmon's voice, pulling Kioko's attention back to him, "I'm afraid I've no time to waste any more."

With the brief exchange of words, Sleipmon loosed his arrow. Kioko stood her ground, and the arrow connected with her chest. However, unlike Minervamon, the arrow splintered against her armour. Kioko however, was put off balance by the force of the impact, and stumbled back a few feet. She planted her feet to steady herself, and faced the Royal Knight once again. She began to run towards him, hefting Gladius back to take a swing at him. Sleipmon, as before, galloped away from her, however this time his movements seemed more frantic.

Kioko skidded to a stop, nearly losing her balance again. "Great; he's still too fast."

_"I have an idea. We can't catch up to him on foot, but maybe we can put these wings to good use."_

Kioko looked to her back to see her wings fluttering slightly. They felt strange, as an unfamiliar part of her body. "I'm not sure; this is all still so new to me."

_"Don't worry, I'll handle that part."_

Kioko felt the wings start to move, independent of what she could feel of them. She know that Minervamon, who was used to flying in her other forms, must have been controlling them. She had a slight rush of vertigo as she lifted off the ground, but it passed after a moment, with her memory of riding on Hippogryphomon coming to the forefront of her mind, supplied by Minervamon.

_"Don't worry, we'll do this together."_

Kioko nodded and hefted Gladius forward once again. Sleipmon stood a fair distance away, an arrow notched to his bow but not yet aimed at Kioko. He seemed to be waiting to see what she would do. Kioko felt a rush as, at Minervamon's bidding, her wings flapped hard, propelling her dozens of feet into the air. She moved her body to aim straight at the Royal Knight, and, once she was in position, she felt her wings push hard, throwing her straight and fast at Sleipmon. The Royal Knight made his move as well, bringing his bow forward and firing the arrow straight at Kioko's uncovered head.

Kioko felt a sudden jerk as her wings folded together behind her, sending her into a steep drop. Sleipmon's arrow whizzed over her head, after which her wings spread back out, bringing her level again and resuming her straight line towards Sleipmon. Seeing that his attack has missed, the Royal Knight drew and notched another arrow, and began to run away from Kioko. She swerved in midair, heading towards the Knight as he moved, but he was still getting ahead of her, his movements faster than her own.

Kioko then had an idea of her own, stemming back to when she and Minervamon had taken on Lucemon. She reached for the energy flowing through her body, stemming from the Digivice embedded in her abdomen, and focused on it. She found that the energy flowed where she will it, and sent it into Gladius. The sword became bathed in purple light, swirling around the blade in ripples. The Energy then extended out of the sword itself, creating a massive blade of purple energy. Just as Sleipmon was about to get out of her reach, she swung the massive blade at him.

She felt the strike connect, and looked up to see her blade embedded in Sleipmon's torso, nearly cutting him clean in two. She released the energy she had been focusing on, dispelling the blade. As she set herself back down on the ground, she watched Sleipmon crumple to the ground, massive amounts of data spilling out of the gash she had inflicted on him. Kioko ran over to him, hoping to do something, but by the time she reached him, most of his data had already dispersed. All she could do was watch as the rest of his data flow away and disappear.

"Damnit, I didn't mean to kill him." Kioko shuddered with each word, feeling uneasy about what she had just done.

_"Don't feel bad Kioko, this was your first time fighting. It's not always easy, but I'm glad you pulled it off."_

"But... but I killed him."

_"Remember Kioko, Digimon don't die, we just get reformatted. His data will return to the Digital World and be reborn. Besides, weren't you the one telling me we had to do everything we could to protect both our worlds?"_

"I know, but I never expected anything like this."

Kioko was pulled from her internal conversation by the sound of a humming engine. She looked up to see what she first thought was Darkdramon descending towards her. However, when the figure landed, she was somewhat surprised to see that it was Ren, clad in armour similar to her own. She looked him over while he did the same, each one seeming to figure out what had happened to the other. Ren was the first to speak.

"So, I take it you went through the same thing I did?"

"It seems that way. It's certainly weird."

"Yeah, at first, but I kinda just went with it. I managed to take care of Magnamon, and then I got worried so I came back here to make sure you were okay. Glad I was worried for nothing."

"Yeah, I managed to defeat Sleipmon as well, although I'm not sure I want to get used to fighting like this."

"Well, if all goes according to plan, you shouldn't have to. But for now, I think we'd best get moving. With the Knights dealt with we may be able to be of some use to Takeshi."

"Alright, let's go then."

With that, the two of them took to the air. They turned to face Tokyo Tower, which stood out in the skyline. If what they hoped was true, then Takeshi and Beelzemon were there fighting with Queenmon. If they were lucky, he may have already purified Chie and freed her from her cruel fate as a corrupted half-Digimon. Either way, they knew that was where they were headed. The two of them took off, flying as fast as they could towards their final confrontation.

**Author's Notes: **Whoo! Managed to get another chapter done, just like I planned. You may have noticed more internal descriptions this time, and that was on purpose. I figured you guys might want some insight to the Holy Armour Fusion, and I'll tell you now that the thought process shared by Kioko and Minervamon was the same or similar for all of the other Children of Virtue. Hope that's of interest to you. There's only one Royal Knight left to deal with, so stay tuned; things are coming to a head very soon. Thanks for reading.


	24. Sins of the Past

Chapter 23: Sins of the Past

Takeshi looked ever forward as the city streaked by him. He felt Beelzemon's arms around him, holding him aloft as the two flew towards Tokyo Tower. After a few twists and turns through the city streets, they found their way to a street that led straight to the tower. Before they made it though, Beelzemon slowed down, and set down back on the ground. He set down Takeshi, who turned and looked at his partner, somewhat confused as to why they were stopping. Beelzemon looked around before addressing his partner.

"Why did we stop?" demanded Takeshi. "Chie is short on time and we need to hurry."

"I know that, but there's something we need to talk about first."

"What?"

"Takeshi... do you trust me?"

Takeshi was taken aback at the question. The look in Beelzemon's eyes was somewhat forlorn, which was an expression he had never seen him show before. "Why would you ask that?"

"It's simple really; it's because of who I am. What I was, what I've done, my past, all of it. I used to be one of the Seven Demon Lords; the most evil, despicable Digimon that ever existed. You, more than any of the other children, suffered because of our treachery and deceit."

"Yes, but you're different now. You changed. You're not the same Digimon you were back then, you even said so yourself."

"I know I did, but now... I wonder if I really deserve it. During my time as a Demon Lord I slaughtered countless other Digimon in the pursuit of making myself stronger, and I contributed to the work of a group bent on dominating the entire Digital World. Now I seem to be on the other side; trying to liberate the Digital World from domination. I wonder... am I doing this because it's my duty, or just because I'm trying to make up for all the horrible stuff I did before."

Takeshi wasn't quite sure what to say. He had never heard Beelzemon talk like this before. He raked his brain, trying to figure out what he could say to his partner, but he kept coming up short. Beelzemon continued to look detached, and let out a sigh. Suddenly, something came to him. "Beelzemon... did I ever tell you about my former partner?"

Beelzemon turned to face Takeshi, his look of forlorn replaced by one of intrigue. "No, you never told me about it. I didn't know you had a partner before me."

"I did, three years ago when we were all back in the Digital World. He came to me when I was imprisoned in the Dark Area. His name was Dracmon, and he was called into existence by my desire to set right the mistakes I had made. He was made from data that had been corrupted and damaged by the Demon Lords, and shared my desire to put an end to them. Because of that though, from the beginning he was doomed to destabilize and be deleted permanently."

Beelzemon was the one who seemed taken aback now; "Why are you telling me about this?"

"Even though Dracmon knew all along that he was going to die," continued Takeshi, "he never looked back, and only focused on moving forward and completing what he had set out to do. Even after he died he still thought of helping others. He gave me the remnants of his data, which I used to repair the damage to Chie's DNA, which saved her life. It's somewhat ironic that the same thing that helped her back then is in the process of killing her right now." A few tears leaked out of Takeshi's eyes as he spoke, but he ignored them.

"Is there a point in telling me all of this?"

"Yes. The point is that there's no point in worrying about the bad things we can't change. The only thing we can do is move forward and make things better. Even though I was abducted into the Digital World and freed the Demon Lords, had that not happened Chie would have died three years ago. Even though he knew he was going to die, Dracmon pressed forward and saved countless lives, including Chie's. Even though you know you've done horrible things in the past, now that you've changed, you should keep moving forward and trying to do what's right. Right now, that means rescuing Chie and freeing the Digital World from Queenmon's domination."

Beelzemon smirked at his partner. "Thanks Takeshi, that helps a lot. Let's get going."

Since they weren't far from the area where the tower stood, Takeshi and Beelzemon simply started to run the rest of the way. They emerged from the building lined streets into the area around the base of the tower. They had originally thought they would be able to head right into the tower, but something stood in their way. Omnimon. The leader of the Royal Knights stood about halfway between them and the base of the tower. Upon seeing them, the Knight began to walk towards them. Beelzemon reached for his remaining shotgun, but Takeshi held up ah and to stop him. Omnimon approached them, and when he reached them he towered over both of them.

"I thought Queenmon extended a personal invitation to us for a fight," sneered Beelzemon.

"Queenmon is unwell," came Omnimon's reply, crossing his arms as he spoke. "Likely in large part thanks to your previous attack on this place. As such, I shall be taking care of you in her stead."

Beelzemon reached for his shotgun once more, but was again held up by Takeshi. "Omnimon," he began, "please listen to what I have to say. Queenmon isn't well because her data is unstable. It needs to be purified or she's going to be destroyed. I don't want to see that happen, more than anyone else can possible understand."

"I'm afraid I have no ears for the pleas of a Demon or his servants."

Beelzemon scowled at Omnimon, his hand itching to grab his gun. "Your ass is on the line here too pal," he sneered. "If Queenmon goes kaput while her data is still imprinted on you, who knows what'll happen."

Omnimon did not budge; he was still unwilling to listen to Beelzemon. "I grow weary of this. I am well versed in the treachery of the Demon Lords. There is a part of me that remembers it all too well, for you in particular, Beelzemon the Bandit."

"What are you getting at?"

"Do you remember Wargreymon?"

"I remember him being a great warrior from all the way back to the Ancient War."

"Do you also remember what you did to him?"

"I remember what the old me did to him. Wait... don't tell me."

"It seems you've figured it out." With that, Omnimon brandished his dragon headed arm, causing the blade to emerge from it. "Not only did you corrupt Wargreymon, you also killed him when he was freed from your control as Blackwargreymon. You then stole his data to create a new weapon for yourself, ever seeking to increase your own power as you always had. When that weapon was destroyed, the data that formed it was released, and eventually came to reside as a part of me."

"That's all in the past," protested Takeshi. "The Beelzemon that stands before you is different from who he was back then."

"No, he is the very same Demon Lord. Were he not, my blade would not cry out for him as it does. You cannot hear it, but it resounds in my very core. This blade cries out for vengeance. I tell you this so that you will know; when I strike you down, you will know that it is the righteous end you meet, with your own past damning you. You will know justice."

Omnimon's eyes, visible through his helm, burned with an unrivaled fury. Takeshi had never seen such anger before, and was frightened more than he cared to admit. Beelzemon knew this anger though. He knew it well, because it was his own anger. His hatred for himself and his past, and the hatred unto him from everyone he had ever wronged. That hatred was all reflected in Omnimon's eyes, and he knew that the time for talking was over. It was time to face that hatred, to face his past, and conquer it.

Omnimon and Beelzemon stood still for a few moments that seemed to drag on forever. They were just staring at each other, taking in their opponent. It was Beelzemon who made the first move. He whipped out his shotgun and roared 'Double Impact', discharging both barrels at Omnimon's chest. Omnimon took the blast with gusto, and although the impact pushed him back a good ten feet, he shook it off and remained standing. Beelzemon hovered off the ground and followed him into the clearing.

Omnimon raised his blade and held it out in font of him. He lunged at Beelzemon while calling out 'Transcendent Sword'. Beelzemon, being the smaller and more agile of the two, dipped under the blade, and brought his free hand into a fist, striking the Knight's chest once again. Omnimon didn't flinch, and instead brought his blade back inwards, attempting to catch Beelzemon in close range. Beelzemon raised his other arm and caught the edge of the blade on his gun. Omnimon began to press on him with the blade, and he had to struggle to keep himself from getting skewered.

Beelzemon angled his gun inwards, pointing at Omnimon's head. Despite the risk of bringing the blade closer, he had to take the shot while he had it. He squeezed the trigger firmly, blasting Omnimon right in the face. The shot at such close range threw Omnimon for a loop, knocking him upwards and backwards, landing a few feet away with a tremendous crash. However, the gambit had not paid off well for Beelzemon, as Omnimon's blade had sliced clean through his remaining shotgun, leaving him with no weapons.

Takeshi watched the fight from the edge of the clearing, wondering what to do. He knew that his partner was strong, but without any weapons he wouldn't stand much of a chance in a fight. There had to be something he could do, but he didn't know what. Beelzemon seemed to be having similar thoughts, staring at the half a gun he now held in his hand. He tossed the useless remnant aside and flexed his claws, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on Omnimon. The last fragment of Beren Hena landed not too far from Takeshi, although he paid it no mind.

Omnimon had once again taken to his feet, although it looked like the previous effort had taken its toll. There was a large crack running along the face of his helm, ending on the left side were a sizable chunk had been blown off, including one of his decorative horns. However, the Royal Knight realized the same thing that Takeshi and his partner had; his opponent was now unarmed. He pointed his blade at the former Demon Lord, the runes pulsing with a faint light.

"It's over Beelzemon," declared the leader of the Royal Knights. "You can no longer fight me. Accept your fate."

"Funny," retorted Beelzemon, "I don't remember throwing in no towel."

Beelzemon roared furiously and jumped into the air. His claws became bathed in a dark light as he called out 'Darkness Claw!' From each hand he unleashed four blades of dark energy, thrown straight at Omnimon. The Royal Knight did not budge, and his blade lit up with its own energy. He slashed forward with the blade once, unleashing an energy blade of his own. This energy blade cut through four of Beelzemon's, causing all of them to dissolve. When the other four claws reached him, Omnimon simply slashed through them with his bare blade, leaving himself untouched.

However, as Omnimon had been dealing with Beelzemon's attack, he hadn't noticed that the former Demon Lord had thrown himself at him in the midst of it. Beelzemon dove at Omnimon, claws bared as his decoy attack was extinguished. However, as soon as he reached the Royal Knight, he found himself staring straight at the end of his wolf-headed arm. His claws glanced off the arm while he flipped himself around, getting behind his opponent.

Omnimon turned around after Beelzemon's glancing blow and brought his cannon out from its chamber within his arm. He turned around to face his opponent, never taking the cannon's barrel off him. Once he had turned full circle, he immediately roared 'Supreme Cannon'! He discharged a massive blast of energy from his cannon straight at Beelzemon. Beelzemon was nimble, but the blast itself was enormous. He ducked aside, but howled painfully and the blast flew past, searing his left wing. The blast continued on, impacting near one of the legs of Tokyo tower. The leg was nearly destroyed, with only a few frames remaining to hold it up.

The creaking of the strained metal could barely be heard by Beelzemon, who was dazed by his searing pain. His left wing had been scorched almost down to the base, and he would no longer be able to fly. He gritted his teeth and tried to stand, but each time he did his wing stub would twitch excruciatingly. He watched as Omnimon withdrew his cannon and began walking towards him, raising his blade. Beelzemon looked behind the Royal Knight, where his partner was staring blankly, not knowing what to do.

"Takeshi," groaned Beelzemon, finding it difficult to force words together. "I need more power. I need you to share your strength with me. For Chie's sake, and all the rest of you guys too."

Takeshi, who had been in a daze ever since Beelzemon was shot down, was snapped back to reality by his words. He gripped his Digivice tightly, wondering what he could do to help. His eyes darted around and stopped when they landed on the broken handle of Beren Hena. He ran over to it and picked it up, although he wasn't quite sure what he could do with it, but he knew he had to try something; anything. His Digivice, seeming to take on a mind of its own, emitted a stream of light that wrapped the broken gun in a sphere of dark light. The sphere then flew off, straight towards Beelzemon.

Omnimon was now standing over the fallen Beelzemon, readying his sword to end the fight. His gaze darted behind him for an instant, his attention drawn by the flash of light from Takeshi's Digivice. He watched as the sphere of light darted forth from his hand, straight past him and towards Beelzemon. The former Demon Lord grasped the sphere in his right hand, at which time the light spread over his arm, changing it's shape. When the light dimmed, Beelzemon recognized the device that now covered his arm. From the look on his face, Omnimon recognized it too. It was the weapon he had previously used against Ren and Darkdramon; the cannon he had made using Blackwargreymon's data.

Beelzemon sneered, amused by the irony of that weapon coming back at this time. Omnimon was less than pleased, and raised his sword, intending to deliver the final blow once more, bellowing as he swung. This time however, Beelzemon moved with him, and just as the blade was about to pierce his chest, he caught it in the jaws on the front of his cannon. With a mighty screech of his own, Beelzemon twisted his weapon, which cackled with pink energy. The result was the Omnimon's blade was wrenched, and broke in two along a jagged edge. Several shards littered the ground along with the larger part of the blade.

Omnimon stumbled backwards from the loss of his blade, and Beelzemon seized his chance. He swung a leg underneath the Knight, taking his feet out from under him. As Omnimon fell, he forced himself to his feet, jumping back several feet to distance himself from the Knight. The Royal Knight let out a blood curdling roar and raised himself to a sitting position. He bared his cannon once more. However, before he could attack, Beelzemon, his own cannon raised, called out 'Corona blaster!' The jaws of the weapon opened, forming a crackling sphere of pink energy. The energy shot out in a streak, and flew right down the muzzle of Omnimon's cannon.

The explosion that resulted form the blast was intense, forcing both Beelzemon and Takeshi to avert their eyes. When the dust settled, they both turned to see the state of the Royal Knight's leader. He was flat on his back, although both his eyes were still open, burning with an even more intense rage than before. Beelzemon held his cannon up, ready to fire again if need be. However, that seemed unlikely. Omnimon's left arm had bee blown clean off, right up to the shoulder. As well, his right lay at his side, his shattered blade motionless.

Takeshi ran up to his partner, and turned to look at the fallen Knight. Beelzemon, seeing that the fight was over, lowered his weapon. Takeshi was relieved to see that his partner had survived, although he pitied Omnimon for the condition he was in now. The Knight seemed as though he could barely move. Takeshi, Digivice still in hand, turned to face him. He pressed the button on the left hand side, bathing Omnimon in purifying light. When the light faded, he remained seemingly unchanged, still laying flat, his eyes alight with burning hatred.

Just as Takeshi wondered if the effect had not worked, the Knight spoke. "Do not think this changes things, Beelzemon the Bandit."

Beelzemon looked down at the Knight, not sure what to make of his statement. "What are you on about, eh?"

"Simply because Queenmon's taint has been purged, does not mean I have forgotten what you have done." The Knight struggled to move, but eventually found his way to his feet. "Queenmon must be dealt with if order is to be restored to the Digital World. However, that does not mean I won't deal with you once she is finished." Although his steps were slow and staggered, Omnimon began to walk towards the tower.

Beelzemon stepped over to the Knight's side; "Are you nuts? You actually think you can do anything in the shape you're in?" He moved to stop the Knight's advance, but was met with the hilt shard of his blade.

"I have a duty to fulfil. This is not something I would expect a cretin like you to understand."

Beelzemon backed away from Omnimon, dumbfounded by both his actions and his odd knowledge of everything going on, considering the amnesia suffered by the other Digimon previously purified. He and Takeshi watched, bewildered, as he took to a run, and leapt up to the observation deck of the tower in a single bound. Omnimon's actions aside, Takeshi and Beelzemon that their destination was also the tower's observation deck, where they would confront Chie, and free her from her unfortunate state. With Beelzemon unable to fly, the two of them immediately began running towards the ladder on the side of the tower. It was time for everything to come to an end.

**Author's Notes: **Whoo! That is quite possibly one of the most awesome thing's I've ever written (at least I'd like to think so). Hopefully you guys enjoy the reading as much as I did the writing. The grand finale is coming up; don't miss it.


	25. A Monarch's Wrath

Chapter 24: A Monarch's Wrath

Takeshi and Beelzemon, still bewildered over Omnimon's actions, knew that they had little time. If the Royal Knight attempted to fight Queenmon in his condition, he would likely be obliterated. However, there was another frightening possibility. If Queenmon's condition was such that she was too far gone to fight back, then Omnimon might attempt to kill her. Takeshi couldn't allow that to happen, nor did he wish to see the Royal Knight destroyed. He and Beelzemon scrambled up the ladder towards the tower's observation deck. However, their ascent was slow, since Takeshi had to be helped by Beelzemon, due to the ladder having been designed for the much taller Royal Knights.

When the two of them finally reached the observation deck after what seemed like hours, they were met a scene far more stagnant than they had anticipated. Omnimon was standing, albeit barely, and seemed to be simply observing at the moment. What he was observing was Queenmon herself, seated on what appeared to be a makeshift throne made from torn parts of the tower's interior. She had not reattached her helm, and Chie's face was still plainly visible. However, between the cables running out of her skin, her dishevelled hair and her mutated left eye, she looked almost nothing like the innocent child she had been only a week earlier.

Queenmon's visage flickered and distorted with pixelation every few seconds, reminding Takeshi that they were running out of time. He had no idea how long her corrupt data would be able to maintain its integrity. He had to purify her soon, or risk losing her forever. Unfortunately, before he could make a move, Queenmon began addressing Omnimon.

"I'm very disappointed,"she stated harshly, her voice crackling with static. "I thought at least the head of my Royal Knights could handle the Demon Lord. Now, not only are you telling me you were unable to defeat him, you come before me in such a state. It is disgraceful."

"I'm afraid, your Highness," remarked Omnimon, his sarcasm biting, "that you have sat upon the throne of the Digital World for long enough. Your mind is slipping as your data continues to decay, and the corruption you brought has twisted the Digital World itself."

"HOW DARE YOU!" roared Queenmon, rising suddenly from her seat. "Such treachery, such impudence; who do you think you are? Perhaps you have forgotten, but I am Queenmon, sole ruler of the Digital World. I shall also soon rule this world, once the Children of Virtue are dealt with. My rule is absolute, none shall take it from me! All those who stand against me shall be destroyed!"

"I'm surprised you can still stand, considering the weight of your swollen head."

Queenmon's face was red with fury. She held out her hands, into which her hammer materialized. "I shall slay you, like the treacherous dog you are!"

Her fury reaching its peak, Queenmon lunged at Omnimon, swinging at him wildly with her hammer. Omnimon, in return, proved that despite his condition, he was still quite nimble. He sidestepped the charge of his former monarch, bringing himself beside her. However, Queenmon was no less quick, turning on the spot and twisting the direction of her swing. Her brought her hammer down hard on the Royal Knight's side, knocking him into the pillar at the middle of the tower. Omnimon collided with the pillar hard, gagging as the wind was knocked out of him.

The former captain of the Royal Knights slumped to his knees, then fell onto his side, no longer able to support his own weight. Queenmon turned to face Omnimon's fallen form, a look of pure disdain on her face. She began to step towards him, hefting her hammer between her hands. All Omnimon could do was clutch at his side, where her hammer had left a sizable dent, with cracks running along the edges. Data was beginning to pour away from his body out of his various wounds.

Just as Queenmon stood over the fallen knight, ready to deal him a final blow, Beelzemon cried out; "That's enough."

Queenmon stopped, turning her head to observe the one calling out to her. A sickening grimace appeared on her face. "Well, if it isn't the grand usurper. Don't worry Demon Lord, I shall deal with you once I have executed this traitor. My throne will never be yours."

"Like I give a shit. I'm here to put an end to you and this phony Dynasty of yours, once and for all."

Queenmon began to cackle. "You? End my reign? You greatly overstep yourself, Beelzemon. A mere bandit such as you will never be able to defeat me. I am a true born ruler, and would never allow my reign to be ended by a commoner."

"You're really slipping. I'm gonna have to hurry if we're gonna keep you from losing it altogether."

"As I said Demon Lord, all in due time."

Without taking her gaze off Beelzemon, Queenmon gave a mighty swing of her hammer, directly into Omnimon's head. There was a sickening noise as his skull was crushed by her weapon, his body ceasing to twitch as it had been in his injured state. His body exploded into shower of data, but before it could disperse, Queenmon got a hold of it. She pulled the Knight's data towards herself with her free hand, loading the entirety of it into her body. She seemed to resonate with power, and her lips curled into a twisted smile.

Beelzemon, wary of her, took a few steps back. "This ain't good," he muttered. "She was nearly as strong as me before, and now she's got Omnimon's power backing her too."

"Don't give up Beelzemon," called Takeshi from the edge of the observation deck. "Remember, you don't need to overpower her. Just get the Digivice away so I can purify her."

"Easier said than done."

Beelzemon glowered at Queenmon. He might have been able to take her before, but Omnimon's power would make a big difference. He knew full well the strength that could be gained by loading the data of a defeated Digimon, and Omnimon was one of the strongest around. Beelzemon glanced at the cannon on his arm, and began to regret having dealt such a crippling blow to his former foe. He wasn't in the greatest shape either after that fight; with his wing torn off and his stamina nearly depleted. Even so, he knew he had to try, for the sake of his partner.

Beelzemon roared and raised his cannon, calling out 'Corona Blaster' even as he moved. He discharged a blast like before, directly at Queenmon. The monarch did not move, she merely sneered at the oncoming blast. With a yell of her own, she swung her hammer into the oncoming attack, knocking the energy blast away like it was a sport. The blast flew off to her side, taking a chunk out of the tower's central pillar. The tower itself groaned and creaked from the stress it was under, and would likely not be able to take much more punishment.

Beelzemon was unsure of himself, as his strongest attack had been swatted away like an irksome bug. He knew getting in close was a bad idea, as he had experienced the force of Queenmon's hammer first hand when he had fought her before. With Omnimon's power bolstering her, it would be even worse this time around. He glared at his regal opponent, who continued to wear the same twisted smirk she always wore when looking at him. However, she wasn't moving either, as though she was waiting for something. Beelzemon was broken from his state of curiosity when she spoke to him.

"What's the matter, bandit?" she sneered. "You spoke so boisterously before, didn't you? Have you realized the futility of your struggle? Are you ready to die?"

"Not a chance!"

"Oh? Do you have some sort of plan? A secret weapon perhaps? It matters not. No matter what schemes you may plot or powers you may possess, you shall not fell me. I shall remain eternally upon the throne of the Digital World and the Human World. My reign shall be the greatest in all of history, surpassing even the Benevolent Masters."

"You have some serious ego problems; time for a reality check. You are a mistake; a fluke, a random anomaly that came as a result of some unstable data getting a jolt of power. You may pretend to be powerful, but underneath it all you're just a little human girl, frightened of what she's become."

"Beelzemon," roared Takeshi, "that's still my sister you're talking to."

"Ah... sorry. I kinda got carried away."

Queenmon however, did not seem at all amused. Her face was red and her eyes were fierce. She let out a powerful scream and roared at Beelzemon. "I WILL NOT BE MOCKED BY A DEMON! PREPARE TO DIE!"

Queenmon bellowed once more and rushed towards Beelzemon, her hammer thrown back over her shoulder. Beelzemon had shifted his attention to Takeshi, but upon hearing her scream, it was drawn back to her as she lunged towards both of them. Beelzemon grunted and grabbed Takeshi, pulling him in close. He dove out of Queenmon's path, siding along the floor with his partner in tow. The enraged monarch skidded to a halt just before colliding with the observation deck's windows, and turned on a dime to face her opponent.

Beelzemon took a moment to stand up, pulling Takeshi back up with him. "You need to get away from here," he said curtly. "You need to stay out of the way until I bring her down, I don't want you getting hurt."

Before Takeshi could respond, Queenmon bellowed once again. The two of them turned to face her as she began to pulsate with energy. The energy flowed into her hammer, which she pointed straight at Beelzemon. She roared 'Judgement of the Empress', which caused the energy massed in her hammer to erupt in a massive blast of force. Beelzemon, not having enough time to get out of the way, gave Takeshi a hard shove, throwing him clear of the blast, then raised his cannon in an attempt to shield himself.

The blast broke over Beelzemon in waves, causing him to howl with pain. The blast washed over him and tore through the window behind him, shattering glass and melting steel. When the blast subsided, Takeshi looked up to see the state of his partner. Beelzemon still stood, but was far from alright. The cannon he had been wielding was completely destroyed, and his right arm hung limp at his side. Beelzemon clutched at his right shoulder, where his remaining wing had been torn clean off.

Before Takeshi had the opportunity to react, Queenmon was on top of Beelzemon. She bellowed fiercely as she drove her hammer into his side, throwing him clean across the deck. He collided with the window opposite, which had already been weakened by the damages to the tower. Beelzemon shattered the window as he passed through, before falling below the deck. Queenmon howled triumphantly as Takeshi leapt to his feet, running after his fallen partner.

Before he could reach the window, Takeshi found his path obstructed by Queenmon. She glared at him with eyes full of hatred. "You are the one who started all of this," she declared harshly. "This all started when you attacked me at the Crystal Palace."

Takeshi was speechless. He was torn between anger at his partner's defeat, and pity for his sister's current state. Tears streamed down his face as he looked at her distorted visage. "Chie... please..."

"Silence! It is high time you were brought to justice for your crimes against me."

Queenmon hefted her hammer, preparing to strike Takeshi down with it. Before she could swing, there was a roar from outside the tower. 'Dragonic Impact!' A bolt of energy flew past Takeshi and impacted Queenmon's shoulder, leaving a scorch mark. She looked up to see her attacker, and watched a blue streak flew through the window, accompanied by the sound of a jet engine. The blue blur rammed into her, throwing her across the deck to the other side of the tower, before landing next to Takeshi.

The armoured figure turned to face Takeshi, who was surprised to see Daichi's face staring at him, although his eyes were covered by his goggles. Daichi pulled the goggles up over his hair and smirked at Takeshi. "Sorry we're late."

Takeshi was dumbfounded. Both at Daichi's appearance and at his arrival. He stammered for a moment before blurting out; "Wait, we?"

"Yeah, I ran into Ren and Kioko on the way over here."

At Daichi's words, Takeshi heard the sound of wings flapping, and watched as Kioko touched down on the floor right next to Daichi. She nodded to him, at which point the two of them walked over to Queenmon, who had worked herself into a sitting position. They trained their weapons on her, causing her to stop dead. Takeshi was at a complete loss for words,when his attention was drawn to a humming noise outside the window. He looked to see Ren, in similar armour to the other two, hovering just outside. In his arms, he held the battered Beelzemon.

Ren floated into the tower, setting Beelzemon down on the floor. Takeshi ran over to his partner and propped him up. His breathing was ragged, but he was alive. Ren set down on the floor next to him. "Thank you," he said, tears still staining his face, "thank you for saving him."

"No problem; that's what friends are for," replied Ren, rubbing the back of his head. "It was lucky we got here when we did though. When I saw that huge blast I thought you might be in trouble."

"But, how..."

"Oh, this?" muttered Ren, indicating his armour. "I got this armour from Darkdramon; we did some kind of fusion thing while fighting Magnamon and used it to beat him together. Daichi and Kioko told me the same thing happened to them, more or less."

"Then, the Royal Knights?"

"Dealt with, at least for us. Haven't met up with the others yet. Although, it wouldn't be a stretch to assume they've been dealt with as well, if the rest of our friends had the same thing happen as we did."

"What..." stammered Queenmon, staring blankly at the ends of Ambrosius and Gladius. "What treachery is this? My Knights should have taken care of you. All of you."

"Sorry Queenmon," retorted Daichi, "but the Royal Knights just didn't stack up next to us."

It was at this time that Beelzemon reawakened. He looked around at the armour clad Warriors of Virtue, somewhat confused. "Did I miss something?"

Upon hearing Beelzemon's voice, Queenmon's face twisted with rage. "BEELZEMON? How do you still draw breath?" Queenmon was about to leap towards him, but was brought up short by the Warrior's weapons. She glowered furiously at all of them. "This will not stand! I will destroy all of you! The Digital World is mine alone!"

Daichi looked away from Queenmon, but kept his weapon pointed right in her face. "Alright Takeshi, you're up. Time to purify her and end this nightmare."

Takeshi nodded firmly. "Alright, just take the Digivice away from her first, then I can do it."

"Sure thing."

Daichi nodded to Takeshi, and then pulled Ambrosius back. He reached for the Digivice embedded in Queenmon's abdomen with his free hand, but stopped suddenly. He gasped as Queenmon grabbed hold of his arm and squeezed tightly. Daichi's gasp caused Kioko to look over to him out of concern, taking her eyes off Queenmon for an instant. In that instant, Queenmon let out a shriek and swung Daichi by his forearm, directly into Kioko. She threw the two of them a good ten feet, where they crashed in a heap.

Ren stepped forward, looking towards Daichi and Kioko to make sure they weren't hurt. They were tangled up in each other, and were simply trying to get back up. The ones restraining her removed, Queenmon grasped her hammer and stood back up, staring intently at Takeshi and Beelzemon. She then shifted her gaze to Ren, then glanced back at Daichi and Kioko, who were just getting to their feet.

"So, the Demon Lord has his own protectors? Then I shall have to slay you as you have slain my Knights. I have neither patience nor mercy remaining for any of you."

Queenmon was interrupted as yet another figure arrived at the tower. Takeshi watched a gold blur leap past, landing in front of him. The form he saw was a three headed, golden jackal. He watched as the beast stood up on its hind legs, revealing itself to be Hanae, clad in the same armour as the others. She smiled at everyone, who seemed to be pleased to see that she was alright. Queenmon glared at her with the same contempt, although she also seemed wary about the addition arrival, which caused her to be further outnumbered.

"Hey guys," said Hanae cheerfully, "sorry I'm late."

"Glad to have you here," replied Daichi. "Wait, where's Evan? I thought he was with you."

"He got pretty roughed up in the fight against Craniamon and Duftmon, so he went with Gallantmon to take my mother somewhere safe. However, I did run into the twins on my way here. They should be up in a moment."

True to Hanae's words, Ayame and Seiichi climbed into the observation deck of the tower together, and took their place next to the other Warriors of Virtue. They smiled and greeted their comrades warmly, after which all of them turned to face Queenmon. The weathered monarch was fuming, furious about the arrival of the other children.

"It doesn't matter how many of you there are," she roared, a crazed twitch adding to her already twisted face. "I shall defeat you all the same, and bring peace back to the Digital World. That's right, this is all your fault. If you hadn't come along, the Digital World's peace would never have been lost. My reign was benevolent and just, and you ruined everything!"

Daichi felt it pertinent to cut off Queenmon's delusional ramblings. "Alright, time to finish this."

"Hold on Daichi," said Takeshi, placing a hand on his friend's shoulder. Beelzemon stood next to him, a determined look on his otherwise weary face. "Thank you for coming to help, but this is something that I have to do." As he spoke, Takeshi clutched his Digivice tightly, as it began to spill forth rays of black light.

**Author's Notes:** Phew, Queenmon is plenty pissed now. Thankfully, it'll all be over soon. Sit tight, the final chapter of Digital Dynasty is coming up next (not counting an epilogue, which isn't really a full chapter).


	26. Her Reign Ends

Chapter 25: Her Reign Ends

There was an unsettling stillness on the Tokyo Tower observation deck. Queenmon looked around, wondering if she might escape her current predicament. She was surrounded by the servants of a Demon Lord, and had failed to kill the Demon himself. She knew that these warriors were stronger than her own Royal Knights, and even though she had increased her own power, she was unsure that she could defeat all of them on her own. Her body ached all throughout for reasons she did not understand, and she was beginning to panic.

However, when Beelzemon and Takeshi stepped forward, Queenmon saw an opportunity. They had asked the other warriors to stand down, revealing that Beelzemon wanted to finish her off himself. If she could destroy him first, her Digital World might be saved. If the one who had given them their power fell, then the other warriors would no longer be able to contest her. That was the best opportunity she would have, and she knew failure would bring about her undoing.

Takeshi look upon his sister with a mixture of pity and guilt. What had happened to her was ultimately his fault, in spite of the circumstances. He had no idea what kind of thoughts might be running through her head, but knew from the way she spoke that her mind was coming unhinged. It was now or never, and he had to save her once again. He had done it before, and would not allow anything to stop him from saving her life, even if he had to fight her to do so.

Takeshi held up his Digivice, from which a spread of black light flowed. He pressed the left side button and called 'Holy Armour Fusion!' He and Beelzemon were wrapped in a sphere of dark light as they merged together. Takeshi felt Beelzemon's mind join with his, and saw his memories through his own eyes. He saw his past, everything that had led him up to this point. He felt his partner's guilt and anger, his remorse and self-loathing, and his struggle to avoid slipping back to what he was before. He then understood, more than he could have ever imagined, why Beelzemon had become his partner. The Demon Lord was no more; his redemption was complete.

Takeshi emerged from the sphere of light clad in his Holy Armour, which was the colour of obsidian. He had metal studded gloves and spike toed boots akin to those worn by Beelzemon. A spiked purple mask covered the top half of his face, a stylized third eye adorning the centre. Attached to his right arm was a device similar to Beelzemon's arm cannon, although it sat atop his forearm instead of over the arm itself. Folded against his back was a pair of black feathered wings. Takeshi declared himself to be the 'Holy Warrior of Justice'.

Queenmon seemed take aback at the sight of the new warrior. "What... what is this? You merged with the Demon Lord? How is this possible?"

"It's the power of humans and Digimon working together," replied Takeshi simply. "It's the same thing that conquered the Demon Lords three years ago, and now it's going to save you from yourself."

"What are you blathering about?"

Takeshi continued, ignoring Queenmon's words. "You may not be able to forgive me for what I'm about to do, and I'm not sure I can forgive myself either. However, I can live with that, but I can't live without you. Mother and father would feel the same I'm sure."

Takeshi felt a hand on his shoulder. It was Daichi's; "Don't forget about us. We couldn't stand to lose Chie either; she's practically family. Besides, you saved her life once before, so don't see her having a problem with it this time."

"Thank you Daichi."

_"I'm here with you too,"_ came Beelzemon's voice from within. _"Let's put this to rest."_

Takeshi stepped forward and took a deep breath, determined to finally finish things once and for all. Queenmon glared at him coldly, her hands clutching tightly at the shaft of her hammer. She exhaled harshly, and her body once again became wrapped in a white aura of energy. Takeshi raised his right arm, and simply declared 'Corona Blade'. The mouth of the weapon on his arm opened, forming a ball of pink energy like Beelzemon's cannon had before. However, instead of being discharged, the sphere elongated into a two foot blade of energy.

Queenmon wrung her hands around the shaft of her hammer, which also became bathed in her white aura. She stared at Takeshi, her contempt visible clearly on her face, tinged with her encroaching madness. No longer able to tolerate waiting for the Warrior of Justice to move, Queenmon bellowed and lunged at him, swinging her hammer wildly. Takeshi stood his ground, waiting until she was nearly on top of him before making his move. He raised his blade into the path of her swing, catching her hammer just below the head.

Queenmon took a few steps back, before swinging at Takeshi once more. He again only moved to block her swings, catching her hammer on his blade. Queenmon began to grow frustrated and began swinging at the Holy Warrior with increasing desperation. Each time he would catch her weapon and prevent her from landing a solid blow. With each failed attack, Queenmon's fury increased, as she began bellowing and grunting furiously in her attempts to hit Takeshi.

Queenmon roared loudly and leapt back, the head of her hammer denting the floor as she landed. She was panting furiously, nearly out of breath. She held her hammer aloft, pointing it straight at Takeshi. She scowled at him as she called out 'Judgement of the Empress', her hammer surging with power. However, before she could release that power, Takeshi moved in on her. In an instant, he was right in front of her, and gave a firm downward swing of his blade. With his swing, he sliced the head of her hammer clean off, causing the gathered energy to dissipate harmlessly.  
Queenmon bellowed once more, her fury peaked. She attempted to push past Takeshi to retrieve the lost head of her weapon, only to watch as it was snatched up. The claw of Gliepnir wrapped itself around the hammer's head, and Queenmon could only watch as Ren pulled it in before hurling it out the broken window next to him. Dumbfounded, Queenmon dropped the now useless shaft of her weapon, which dissolved into a stream of data.

Takeshi knew that now was his chance. He rushed in toward Queenmon, grasping her shoulder firmly with his free hand. He the raked his blade across her abdomen, through the Digivice embedded there. The Digivice was nearly carved in two, and was ripped out of her armour with the swing, clattering to the floor a few feet away. Queenmon howled in pain as Takeshi released her shoulder, clutching at the wound on her abdomen. Bits of data began to disperse around the wound, which meant that Takeshi would have to act fast.

Focusing all his will into the Digivice in his chest, Takeshi thought only of wanting to have his little sister back. A stream of light erupted from his Digivice, engulfing the agonized Queenmon. Streams of data dispersed from around her body, as her stature was reduced progressively. When the light faded, Chie was standing where Queenmon once had been. She only stood for a moment, before falling to the floor in a heap.

Takeshi ran over to his sister, and knelt down beside her. He propped her up on a knee to make sure that she was still alive. It was harsh and ragged, but she was breathing, although she had lost consciousness. Takeshi was only able to be relieved for a moment, as he looked her over. The cut on her abdomen was still present, and although shallow, was still bleeding.

Takeshi picked up his sister, pressing a hand over her stomach to slow the bleeding. Without stopping, he turned towards the nearest broken window and began to run towards it. "I'm getting her to the hospital now!" he called, before leaping out the window, spreading the wings on his back to their fullest.

The other children of virtue, fairly slow to react to Takeshi's actions, simply looked on as he took off. They were about to move to follow him, when something else pulled their attention away. The creaking and groaning of metal filled their ears, and the floor beneath them began to shake. Under all the stress and damaged it had sustained during the fighting, Tokyo Tower was losing its struggle for stability. The tower was about to fall.

It was Seiichi who realized what was going on. "The tower," he called, "something's wrong with it."

"It took a lot of damage during the fight," stated Kioko, "plus that mangled leg we saw on the way here."

The children all began to take not of the slant in the floor, as the damaged Digivice that had been Queenmon's slid past them, falling through one of the broken windows. The children looked at each other once and nodded, before scrambling to get out of the tower. Hanae, Seiichi and Ayame each ran to the nearest window and jumped out, landing heavily on the ground below. Daichi, Ren and Kioko, all of whom could fly in their current forms, lifted off the floor and flew through another window together.

The Children all turned to face the crippled tower, and could see that it was starting to lean in the direction of the leg Omnimon had blasted. "What do we do?" called Daichi to the others. "We can't just let it fall!"

"I've got an idea," called Kioko, diving down towards the leg of the tower. "Minervamon," she said internally, "I need you to let me use all of your strength."

_"You got it," _replied her partner, _"just be careful not to hurt yourself."_

Kioko landed at the base of the tower's leg, the girders of which were beginning to bend and buckle under the strain. She planted Gladius in the ground next to her and, calling upon all of her partner's tremendous strength, grabbed the two beams closest to her. The beams in hand, Kioko raised her arms towards the tower's apex, pushing back on the beams. There was a tremendous groan as the new force acted on the tower, but Kioko held herself steady.

Hanae, Seiichi and Ayame came running towards Kioko from the other side of the tower. "That's amazing," remarked Hanae, awed by the strength shown by the Holy Warrior of Humility.

"I'm not sure how long I can keep this up," replied Kioko, her voice strained from the effort she was exerting.

"We need to brace it with something," called Seiichi, looking around frantically.

"On it!" called Ren and Daichi together.

The Daichi and Ren flew down to the ground and began scouring the area around the tower. The two of them noticed that a lot of broken and bent beams that had been blown off the tower were still lying around, and began gathering them. As they grabbed the various pieces of metal, Ayame and Hanae grabbed hold of Kioko, bracing themselves against her to help support the tower. It wasn't long before the two boys returned with a large pile of scrap metal, and tossed it to the ground near Seiichi.

Under Seiichi's direction, Ren and Daichi began arranging the bits of metal to support the tower. They began by embedding a few pieces firmly in the ground, before they began building upwards from them. Each time they attached a piece of metal Seiichi, his hands wreathed in flame, would press the pieces together in a form of pseudo welding. When he took his hands away he drew the residual heat with him, allowing the metal to cool quickly. Eventually, they attached their makeshift brace to the tower's damaged leg, Seiichi again welding it on.

Kioko, her strength exhausted, let out a frustrated sigh as she released her grasp on the tower. She fell to the ground, pulling the other two girls down with her. The tower gave a mighty groan, but fell silent after a moment. The tower shook one last time before falling still, no longer in danger of collapsing. The children looked to each other, and though they were all panting heavily from their efforts, they found the ability to laugh together, both pleased and surprised that their half baked plan had succeeded.

After taking some time to catch their breath, the children all stood and gather together. Though the tower's near collapse had distracted them, they knew they still had somewhere to be. They turned towards the direction Takeshi had flown off in, and began heading back into the city. The nearest hospital they knew of was the same one Hanae had been before, so they decided to go there first.

* * *

"You're very lucky you got her here when you did," came the voice of an older man.

The man was a doctor, and he was addressing Takeshi. He was sitting on a chair next to a hospital bed, holding the hand of its occupant, Chie. Like when Hanae had been there before, a needle and IV bag was dripping blood back into her veins, and the wound on her torso had been stitched up. Takeshi looked to the doctor, thanking him for taking care of his sister.

"So doctor," he said slowly, "how is she?"

"Like I said, you were pretty lucky. That cut on her abdomen didn't show any signs of infection, and should heal very neatly. The blood loss was fairly significant, but not as bad as a couple other cases I've had since all this monster madness started. The only real oddity is the discolouration of her left eye, but so far as we can tell there's nothing wrong with the eye itself."

"When do you think she'll be up and around again?"

"Unfortunately the news there isn't quite as good. From what we can tell, she's in a comatose state right now. We haven't run any tests of specifics yet, but her mind is in some manner of shock. However, this sort of thing is fairly common in trauma cases, and she should make a complete recovery, given time."

Takeshi sighed heavily, saddened by his sister's condition. Still he was grateful that her life was no longer in danger, and graciously thanked the doctor. A knock came at the door, which the doctor walked over to and opened. Standing outside the door were the rest of the Children of Virtue, wanting to come in and visit Takeshi and Chie. The doctor let them pass, then exited the room. Before closing the door, he advised the children to keep their visit brief.

The Children of virtue gathered around Takeshi, who looked up to greet them, although he did not let go of Chie's hand. "Hey guys, glad you could make it."

"You kidding?" smirked Daichi. "Of course we're here. I'm just pissed they wouldn't let us in here any earlier."

"That's understandable though," commented Seiichi, "considering they were treating her until late last night."

"So, how is she?" asked Hanae, eager to learn of Chie's condition.

"The doctor says she's going to recover, but it's going to take some time. Unfortunately she'll be carrying a couple scars from this incident for the rest of her life. The wound I gave her to remove the Digivice is going to leave a scar, and her eye never went back to normal."

"That's not all that bad," said Ayame bluntly. "I hate to say it like this, but she could have been much worse off considering the state she was in."

"You're right though. I should be glad that she's safe now, that's all that matters."

"So," began Kioko, "have you told your parents yet?"

"Thus far I've only told them that Chie is here at this hospital. They were caught up in one of the evacuation camps, but they'll be here sometime later today. I still have no idea what I'm going to tell them."

"I think you should tell them the truth," stated Seiichi calmly. "It may be a big shock, but if they saw any of the news reports, they'll already know there's some kind of connection between you and the events of the several days. I think it's better that they hear it from you than from anyone else."

"We all decided to tell our parents the truth too," said Daichi. "We're gonna tell them about what happened three years ago, and about our involvement in the current incident. They may freak out a bit, but I'd rather tell them myself."

"We won't mention anything about Chie though," cut in Evan. "We wouldn't want anyone to think badly of her. You can keep that within your family."

"Thank you," said Takeshi, tears leaking out of his eyes, although a soft smile accompanied them. "I'll tell them everything that happened, including what I did to save Chie three years ago. After everything that's happened, they deserve to know the truth about the Digimon. Speaking of the Digimon though, what happened to them? Impmon ran off last night after we separated and hasn't come back."

"Impmon came looking for the rest of us, and told us that you had gotten Chie to the hospital safely," replied Ren. "After that, Magimon and Wisemon brought Gallantmon and Evan to meet the rest of us."

"The three of them believed it would be best if the Digimon returned to their own world," continued Evan. "If they stuck around here, they would only cause more panic."

"What about the rest of the country though? Obviously people are going to be looking for explanations of what happened. What are we going to tell everyone else?"

"Gallantmon and the wizards were talking about that too. They told us they'd take care of it, but I have no idea what they could do. The whole country, if not the whole world, probably thinks the Digimon are invaders trying to take over our world. Whatever happens next is probably not going to go smoothly."

"I think we should trust them," stated Hanae firmly. "We all know what happened wasn't their fault, so they should be able to come up with something. We have to believe everything will work out."

**Author's Notes: **And there you have it, Digital Dynasty is drawing to a close. I'll follow up with an epilogue to tie things up. I hope you all enjoyed reading this second story of mine, and that you find the conclusion (both here and the wrap up in the epilogue) satisfying. Also, I don't know if the whole 'bracing the tower' thing would have worked in real life, I'm not an engineer. I just thought it was cool, realistic or otherwise. Thanks for reading.


	27. Epilogue: Changed Forever

Epilogue: Changed Forever

In the weeks that followed the Digimon's invasion of the real world, things were tense and hectic. No one aside from the Children of Virtue knew the whole truth of what had happened, and wild theories were popping up everywhere. The children told their families everything that had happened, to varying reactions. Hanae's mother and the twins' grandfather, having been closer to the action than anyone else, were more readily accepting of the story. The other children had a harder time getting their parents to see eye to eye.

Takeshi expected to have the worst time explaining things to his parents, knowing that his own sister had been in the middle of everything that had happened. His parents were immensely relieved that she was back, even though she was in rough shape. However, they were shocked and confused when told the truth of what happened, and his mother outright refused to believe Chie could have been responsible for what happened.

In the aftermath of what had happened, Japan had closed it borders. Evan found himself unable to return to America for quite some time. It was only when the Digimon returned that things were able to begin moving forward again. Gallantmon returned to speak on behalf of the Digimon, and told the story of the other world. He spoke of how Queenmon had seized power and decided to invade the Human World, under false pretences of justice. He spoke of how he and others had rallied against her and dethroned the corrupt monarch.

Gallantmon's retelling of events was crafted to avoid any mention of the children's involvement, so as not to place any burden or blame for what had happened on their shoulders. However, with the portal reopened, the children's partners came to visit them, in order to convince their families once and for all of the truth. Although it was difficult, their families had no choice but to accept that their children had been involved with the incidents. It was difficult for all of their families to take in, but in time they came to understand.

Once the truth had come out about the Digimon incidents, many people still had more questions about this other world. Gallantmon stood firm and refused to tell the authorities of the Human World anything else about the Digital World, fearing it might bring about the desire for retribution. With so many questions unanswered, people were furious, but that too began to fade with time. Evan was able to return home after that, although he had missed a couple weeks of school in the meantime.

Once everything had come to light, things did eventually take a turn towards normalcy. The Children of Virtue returned to school, the damage done by the Digimon's invasion was repaired, and people went about their lives as they had before. However, they did not give up on finding out more about the Digital World. All over the world, people delved into the networks, trying to find information or hints about this other world. Mercifully, the Children of Virtue remained the only ones to know the whole truth of the Digital World, while no one outside their families even knew of their involvement. Eventually, most gave up the search, and hoped they would never come into contact with the Digital World again.

Two months after she had been purified, Chie awoke. Takeshi and his parents were thrilled that she was awake again, but it was short lived. Chie had retained all her memories of the time she spent as Queenmon, much to Takeshi's dismay, even up to the moment of her purification. The first time she awoke, she had to be sedated to that she wouldn't hurt herself in her panic. With everything that had happened, everything she had done, Chie was beyond upset. She was scared of herself, of what she had done, and what she had become.

When Takeshi told Chie about the incidents from three years prior, she finally learned the truth of how her life had been saved back then. However, knowing that the same thing that had saved her life back then was what caused her transformation, left Chie's psyche in tatters. Her family tried to comfort her, but they knew it would take quite some time for her to come to terms with everything, especially considering her time as Queenmon had left her with an extra eight years of memory due to the time difference between the worlds.

As time passed, Chie began to digest more and more of what had happened, and what she had been through. It wasn't until four months after the incident that she was finally released from the hospital. Even then, she still had a lot of things to come to terms with. She wouldn't even look at Takeshi, believing that everything that had happened was his fault. Takeshi had expected this kind of treatment, but he was willing to bear it knowing he had done everything for her sake. In time, perhaps she would forget the pain. Time heals all wounds, as they say.

**Author's Notes: **There you have it, Digital Dynasty is now complete. As always, thank you to everyone who read this story through, I do hope that you all enjoyed reading it. Thanks to everyone who contributed reviews and other input to this story, and special thanks to my proofreader; Dameonstarflame. I hope you all continue to read and enjoy my other works as well. Thanks for reading.


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